


Death in Slow Motion

by Kartoffelwald



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Danzo is the ROOT of all evil, Family Drama, Friendship, Gen, Mother Hen Shiranui Genma, No Romance, Parent-Child Relationship, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix It, Uchiha massacre fix-it, more than one person time travels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-08 09:11:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14102130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kartoffelwald/pseuds/Kartoffelwald
Summary: Uchiha Yujirou dies  and wakes up ten months into the past with an activated Sharingan eyes and barely enough knowledge on the following months to stop his clan from getting wiped out.Shiranui Genma comes back to the village and is told the Uchiha clan didn't exist anymore. His kid is dead and someone is going to pay for it.





	1. Uchiha Yujirou

**Author's Note:**

> This AU works with the premise that the Uchiha are misunderstood good guys. There might still be talks of a rebellion, but only because they're seriously being oppressed. We will still see a bit of Konoha 1 in this story later. But mostly we'll be following Konoha 2 (the world from ten months before which Yuji-chan wakes up to).

 

 

Part 1: Uchiha Yujirou

I met with Death one day.

 

xxx ooo xxx

 

Uchiha Yujirou will die in ten months. Though at that point, sitting in a crowded restaurant filled with more civilian than shinobi, he hadn't realized it yet. Across the table, Genma-nii was complaining about a rude client from one his recent missions. Genma-nii stops, looking suddenly pale and worried.

"Yuji-chan?"

Yujirou blinks and suddenly the world is a little _louder_. Yujirou blinks again and he his senses overload, too aware of everything breathing around him. Genma-nii shoots up from his seat and puts two fingers to his temple and everything fades to black.

When he comes to again, his first thought was, is this what death feels like? But upon recognizing the feeling of soft blankets against his person, his thought changes. (He was sure he was not at his own place in the Uchiha compound. And neither was he at Genma-nii's. Genman-nii couldn't afford this kind of material. And for that matter, neither could he.) _How am I not dead?_

"Two tomoe? Are you sure? And there wasn't anything unusual before it happened." It was the unmistakeable voice of his clan head.

"Yeah. He suddenly froze and the next thing I see was his bleeding red eyes. I caught his whisper before I knocked him out. He said, 'Nii-san, I don't want to die yet.'" There was a pause before the familiar voice continued. "Is there something I need to know Fugaku-sama?"

He could feel the change in the air at his Nii-san's subtle accusatory tone.

"What exactly are you try to--"

"I'm not saying anything. Merely asking. Afterall, _my brother's kid_ just unlocked his bloodline limit, and he jumped to the second level at that too. From what I understand, the Uchiha's Sharingan eyes is triggered by extreme emotional trauma." Nii-san's voice remains even--like his usual drawl that seemed to reek of disinterest, yet the biting undertone was palpable.

It had always irked Nii-san how Yujirou wasn't allowed to leave the compound to stay with him in his apartment. It was conveniently located in the shinobi housing district not very far from the Hokage's Tower and the Ninja Academy. It would definitely be easier to get to school from there than from the clan compound. Uchiha-sama has never really explained it to him, but Yujirou knew that it wasn't like the Uchiha Clan Head was against it. It was simply that he really can't allow Yujirou. And then it was just too inconvenient for Genma to live within the compound. It would be unusual, granted, but not against law. Nevertheless, the fact stands that the Uchiha clan grounds was too far from  _everything else_ and it would simply be too troublesome for Genma-nii. And thus, the idea was never put on the table. Well, communication was an Uchiha's strength, said no one ever. And really, while it was a public decree to have the Uchiha Clan be put in one corner of the village, no one ever really thought of it as an _actual forced isolation_. After all, other clan compounds exist. What the Uchiha kept in secret though, was the fact it was illegal for any one of them to live anywhere else but the cage the Council had hand-picked for them. Even widows and widowers who had married into the clan was trapped under the law. And as for keeping that fine print within the clan… well, their pride as Uchiha will not permit it, if it got out that the Hokage and the Council were suspicious of them.

Yujirou knew all this, of course. He didn't know the exact details as to why. But almost every Uchiha was aware of this pseudo-exile from inside the village. He's not a prodigy like Shisui or Itachi, but he was still an Uchiha. Maybe he's not as stuck-up as the Elders (because really, no one could be as stuck-up as those geezers) but he still held himself up to the Uchiha standard--even if Genma-nii had explicitly told him that he's allowed not to meet those said standards.

Yujirou was an Uchiha and he was proud of it. Genma-nii will probably never understand it. But that's okay. It changes nothing between them.

"You forget, Shiranui-san. You really have no hold on  _Uchiha_ Yujirou. You are neither blood-related nor even family. You and Kenta may have treated each other as brothers. But no matter how deep that camaraderie is, Konoha recognizes you as mere acquaintances, bonded only by your duty to protect the village. Furthermore, you are an active-duty shinobi. You spend more time on the field, outside Konoha's walls, more than you are in the village. Tell me, when was the last time you took a break longer than two days before heading out on another mission? Not to mention you still go dark.--" Well, that was new. Yujirou knew Genma-nii was good. He _was_ one of the Yondaime's personal bodyguard before. But ANBU? "--Quite frequently, I believe. Just imagine Yujirou receiving your body scroll one day with no explanations. You wouldn't doing him any favors then would you? And we all know the mortality rate of people who choose the mask. Keeping him with the clan will ensure his growth as a shinobi. He would have the education every Uchiha receives and he will be stronger for it. We know how to look after our own. Unlike some." There was something in that retort, but Yujirou wasn't quite sure what.

"Well, fuck you too, Fugaku-sama. You know just as well as I do that Kenta and Miyu were going to name me his godfather. He should have gone to me the minute it was confirmed Kenta was KIA."

Yujirou decided it was about time for him to intervene. The conversation was reaching levels that could only spell a bigger problem. Also, it was getting really uncomforta le being talked about like he wasn't there. And there was no doubt that the two older ninjas outside the room has been aware of his waking since the very first second of it. So, he started to get up. He has barely lifted his body up when the door to the room open to reveal his should-have-been-godfather (a fact he hadn't known before.)

He couldn't help it. He studies the face of the only man he truly considers family. He never really met his parents. He's heard stories about them. But that's it. They felt more like characters from a book than his parents. Miyu died from birth complications, living only long enough to say his name. Kenta died on a mission three weeks after Yujirou was born. He never really met his own son, was never informed of his beloved's death. For as long as he could remember, there was only Genma-nii. He was an Uchiha, yes. He raised and provided for by the clan, though Genmna-nii had stubbornly fought them for the duty. But the clan was big, members reaching up to a hundred. He knew the clan took care of their own, and rather ferverently at that. But it wasn't _family_.

It was Genma-nii who taught him how to stick leaf onto his forehead. It was also Genma-nii who scared off the older, meaner kids when they started bothering him (against his protestations). Genma-nii walked him to the Academy on his first day despite only getting back home from a long mission two hours before It was also a mission where he had pushed himself just to be able to make it before his first day in ninja school started. Although the Uchiha taught him the clan taijutsu and forbade him from telling Genma-nii about it, it was Genma-nii who taught him how to fight like a real shinobi--fight dirty and without hesitation, never feeeze, kill them before they kill you. And even though it took a lot of paperwork, Genma-nii got the permission to take him out of the village for three days when he turned five to see a travelling puppeteer group in the nearby village.

Shiranui Genma was completely and utterly devoted. Raidou-san has teased him about it one of the few times they met. Shiranui Genma doted on him and the brunet never denied it, never tried to make excuses. He took care of Yujirou, _as family should_.

Like usual, his light brown hair, barely reaching his chins was tamed under the bandana holding his leaf plate. His signature senbon-chewing was absent. Unsurprisingly, since it would have been hard to argue with the clan head that way. Hazel eyes land on him and the older man's whole demeanour relaxes.

"How are you feeling, squirt?"

Like I just died.

He wanted to say.

Like I just died and got thrown back ten months into the past.

Everything felt like a dream… or rather, a very bad nightmare.

Maybe he is dead.

Or maybe this is just a very, very elaborate illusion.

He needed time to think.

"Can I go home now?"

The answer was no. Of course it was.

Yujirou didn't even have the energy to argue. But he needed to be alone. Genma wanted to stay, but he had a mission that night. Ah. That's right. This one should only have gone for three days. But complications delayed it by a week. By that time, Yujirou's class was outside Konoha's walls doing survival training. He wouldn't get to see Genma-nii for two months after (and now he knew why: ANBU).

In (what he was still assuming) was his last ten months, Yujirou only got to meet him six times. No, there's five meetings left now.

Genma-nii was out of the village when Itachi slid his blade straight through Yujirou's heart. And ah, that was his last thought wasn't it. Nii-san, I'm scared. I don't want to die yet.

Briefly he starts to wonder how his Genma-nii took in the news. Who told him? How did they say it? Spoken like a mission briefing? Did they try to placate him beforehand? He wouldn't have liked that. A delivery of cold, hard facts and Genma-nii would have treated it as a mission report and he would've kept his mission-persona. He would be professional and not emotional about it, Yujirou thinks. Up until he's alone, at least.

He saw forty-seven dead Uchihas before he himself was killed. (It was what got him his first and second tomoe respectively.) Some of them were younger than him--younger than him in ways that he knew Chojo was only starting to speak and that Bunta turned three two days before and he had been invited to the small gathering as he was their neighbor. He could only think that it was a massacre. A complete wiping out of their blood from the face of the earth.


	2. Shiranui Genma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens which Yujirou doesn't and will never know.

Part 2: Shiranui Genma

  
They looked too much like someone I once knew.

  
xxx ooo xxx

 

This is what happens which Yujirou doesn't and will never know:

 

By the time Genma comes back from the ANBU mission that took him out of the village for a month and a half, the bodies of the murdered Uchiha clan members had long been burned and scattered in the wind in a ceremony attended by most of the village's shinobi population, particularly those belonging in clans. (After all, the Uchiha had been one of the strongest in the village if not the strongest. The in-village peace was kept by the said clan. To have them wiped out in a single night? And allegedly by a single man, the clan heir himself?)

 

This is what happens:

 

Genma is tired and sore. He just wants to shower and sleep for a week straight. But first he needs to give Yuji-chan a present he picked up after completing the mission objectives. His teammates might think he was trying to tease the boy by giving him such an unconventional weapon (even if their clan symbol _was_ a fan), but they didn't know Yujirou the way he did.

 

Genma's first hint that something was wrong came the moment their five-man team was within the Konoha patrol's range. All five of them stop upon seeing Hound waiting for them barely two kilometers away from the village.

 

Genma's second hint that something was very wrong came after Hound sent the other four ahead. Then, after a few minutes, ensuring that there was no one else but them around, Hound removes his ANBU mask, revealing the half-covered face of Hatake Kakashi. It was then that Genma knew things were taking a turn for the worse.

 

He wasn't so stupid to think that the Hokage has ordered his execution. As far as he knows, he hasn't done anything that would warrant treason. And if he were accused of one, he wouldn't be killed without at least defending himself.

 

He and Kakashi were never really close. Their grief from the Yondaime's untimely demise seemed to be the only point of commonality between them. Still, they were comrades in ANBU who knew about each other's real identity and that counted for _something_.

 

Genma copies Kakashi's actions and clips his ANBU mask back on his side. The silver-haired shinobi gestures for him to follow. They don't go too far. They reach a small clearing and jump down from the trees.

 

It was Hatake Kakashi he was facing, Genma noted, not Hound. This is more personal business then.

 

"Sixteen days ago, there was an attack on the village," the man starts and Genma instantly stills. "Uchiha Itachi had gone rogue after killing every member of the Uchiha Clan. Only his brother, Uchiha Sasuke, survived the attack. Instead of killing him, Itachi had put his brother under a strong genjutsu. As of the present, only I, Itachi, and Sasuke are the only known user of the Sharingan. A mass funeral was held thirteen days ago. Only the clan heads Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto were given their own tombstones, after ensuring their eyes will not fall on the wrong hands. The other hundred and sixty-seven victims of the massacre were cremated.--" Genma's ears were ringing. Only years of ruthless shinobi experience keeping him frozen in place, face passive and devoid of emotions. "--As one the few people with _relations_ to the Uchiha, the Hokage had asked me to relay this to you in person."

 

Genma knew he heard the words. But he couldn't… couldn't… comprehend what the other man was saying. Uchiha, massacred? _But what about Yujirou? Wasn't he Uchiha? But he couldn't be **dead**. That's not possible._ Was this some kind of test? You had to be tough in ANBU, afterall. A surprise psych eval? But Hatake was looking like he had just found Uchiha Shisui's corpse all over again. And right… Uchiha Shisui was dead too. Dead. With both his eyes missing. Gouged out. Dead. Dead. They said Itachi killed him too, didn't they? But Yujirou said that was stupid. The older Uchiha members were suspicious of Itachi too. But Yujirou said it was stupid and they were stupid and Yujirou is dead too. Dead. Dead. Dead. And he didn't even have a body to bury anymore. It was Kenta all over again. And no one's going to care, because he is statistics now. A team of seven men, all dead in an ambush by an A-class missing nin who _didn't have the right to be there_. One hundred and sixty-seven Uchiha killed in one night by one man, the clan heir who snapped. The prodigy who went mad killed and killed and _Yujirou's dead_. And he doesn't even get to say goodbye properly.

 

"--Genma," Kakashi's voice was even. Th man speaking to him right now was the ANBU Captain Hound albeit without his mask, not the mess of a jounin Hatake usually portrayed himself as. "Uchiha Yujirou died immediately after a strike to the heart and decapitation--"

 

Died immediately.

 

It was quick. Painless.

 

He wasn't bleeding out and wondering if a saviour would come ~~~~if Genma would somehow come to help him.~~~~

 

He didn't suffer long. At least.

 

_"Itachi-sama is gentle. He couldn't have killed Shisui-nii... And if it had been him, he wouldn't have made it so painful for Shisui-nii. Shisui-nii's an idiot. There are quicker ways to kill yourself. Less painful. He's stupid... He wrote that note. I would've recognize his chicken scratch anywhere. He tried to teach me once, you know? But he was a terrible teacher... That stupid, stupid Shisui."_

 

There wasn't enough time to feel too much pain.

 

It was quick.

 

There were worse ways to go.

 

_Uchiha Yujirou was still dead._

 

The scroll where Genma sealed his present felt heavy in his pocket. It felt like it was burning a hole through his skin.

 

He can't even remember the last time he properly spent time with his kid.

 

"Uchiha Itachi's pursuers came back three days ago. They lost him on the borders of Ame. Investigations being conducted right now are under S-class ranking. Fewer than ten will be privy to it. Hokage-sama expects not to see you for at least four days. He also said that he could be convinced to let you in on the investigation, if his pre-requisites are met. He did not elaborate. The clan compound is currently abandoned and off-limits. But you have permission to visit and take anything from Uchiha Yujirou's living quarters." Kakashi finishes with a nod and promptly disappears.

 

Genma thinks that he appreciates the Hokage evenmore now. There was no reason to do this. On paper, there nothing connecting him to Yujirou. But the God of Shinobi cared about his soldiers enough to give Genma this. Because there was nothing concrete connecting him to his kid. It would not take Genma much to make others look the other way if they start making a fuss. They could bend the rules to let him in on the investigation to get to the bottom of that bloody night.

  
And he will.

 

Shiranui Genma is an infiltration and assassination specialist, and part of his job was information gathering. He has worked mostly for T&I since he was promoted to chunin rank. Even the Yondaime acknowledged his prowess in this field. Genma was never going to be a powerhouse like Kakashi or Gai. But he was a competent and highly-skilled shinobi all the same.

 

Genma does not remember how long he stood there or when he started running in Konoha's direction or how he finally reached the entrance of his apartment. Here there is an empty room that he had been saving for Yujirou. He did all the paperwork again. This was the ninth request he sent the administration. There was a packet on his doorway when he arrived. The request was denied by one Shimura Danzo. Again. Everyone knew if it got stopped by Danzo, the Hokage will most likely never see nor hear about the matter.

 

(Had Genma been any less rational of a man, he would have cursed Danzo's name. The Uchiha compound was ways away from where he lived. If he had been allowed to take Yujirou with him, he would have been safe from the massacre. And even if Itachi had been deadset on killing every single Uchiha in existence, he would have had a hard time attacking Yujirou with other shinobi within close vicinity.)

 

It doesn't matter now though. It doesn't matter that he was prepared to do this for as long as it took to get custody of his kid. Yujirou never knew about this. They stopped talking about it when he started going to the academy. He wanted to surprise him.

 

It doesn't matter now.

 

Genma disables his traps, body moving mechanically as his mind still reels from the news. He goes straight to his bedroom, refusing to look at the closed door from across it.

Nothing matters now. But he needs the truth.

 

_"Itachi-sama is gentle..."_

 

He believed--he believes his kid. But Uchiha Itachi killed his whole clan. That is a fact.

 

Is it, though?

 

Uchiha Itachi is a gentle soul who killed his whole clan.

The statement sounds absurd, but it could be the truth too.

 

Or Uchiha Itachi is a gentle soul. But he snapped and massacred his whole clan and tortured his beloved little brother.

 

He was, after all, a prodigy. There's only so much difference between genius and madness.

 

He strips all of his gear from his person, but doesn't bother changing out of his dirty uniform before sitting on the edge of his bed. He sat with his elbows resting on his kness, hands tightly holding the storage scroll holding a pair of sharp-edged tessen fan. He was going to get a blacksmith to scorch the Uchiha clan symbol on the weapons.

 

He knew Yujirou took pride in his clan. They were a proud bunch, Genma knows. But they had reasons to be. And it wasn't like they were particularly boastful about it. They had rather been subdued recently and most of them have been staying with the MPF. Even higher ranked Uchiha hadn't been taking missions outside Konoha. Even ANBU Uchiha.

 

And right at that moment, something clicks in Genma's mind.


	3. Uchiha Yujirou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yujirou spends some time with the clan heads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of these early chapters will be focused on establishing the characters and relationships. Yeah, not much action here yet. But no worries, I've plotted out the entirety of this fic and have a buffer of two chapters for every update to make sure uploads are on sched. (: Reviews are very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

**xxx ooo xxx**  
Part 3: Uchiha Yujirou  
I asked if they knew how to cry.  
xxx ooo xxx

Fugaku-sama shows him how to activate and deactivate his newly gained Sharingan after Genma leaves to prepare for his mission with a promise to check up on him as soon as he gets back.

They have moved to Fugaku's office where the older Uchiha has activated a tight privacy seal. The room itself was not very big. At most and with no great comfort, the space could probably fit seven grown men. Scrolls with the Military Police seal were stacked neatly on the drawers and more secured documents littered the clan head's desk. Yujirou notes that some books on the pile bear the Nara Clan library stamp.

"The control comes almost innate to us Uchiha. Some of those who try to steal our eyes drains their chakra completely before even succeeding a bit at controlling them." The clan head explained. "But I am proud to see that you have caught on quicker than average, as expected of Kenta and Miyu's son."

Yujirou nods politely, surprised at the revelation that the other knew his parents. Fugaku must have noticed his slight bafflement.

"Your father and I never really ran in the same circle. But Miyu was Uchiha," he paused for a bit, as if looking for the right words to say, "she and I were _friends_. Not particularly close, but we were not very far in age and circumstances had kept us together more often than not. My wife too is a distant cousin of your mother." He continued to say.

Yujirou only nods in acknowledgement.

For a moment he thought the conversation was over. But Fugaku only heaved a sigh before speaking again, "You know I would have let you live with Shiranui had the situation been different." Yujirou did not doubt his sincerity. "It wasn't like this before. And we're trying to fix the issues with the Hokage and the village elders. I cannot promise you anything yet. But as soon as it is allowed, I will not stop you from staying with him. After all, it might just be your godfather who'd wear them out with his relentless request to take custody of you outside of the compound." Yujirou might just have imagined the teasing note at the end.

"Thank you very much, Fugaku-sama." He says and hopes that he had conveyed his gratefulness with it.

The Uchiha were not men of many words. Yujirou appreciates his clan head even more for this.

Fugaku and Mikoto does not let him leave that night. When Mikoto called them to the dinner table, Sasuke had just finished helping his mother set the plates.

It was fortunate that Itachi was out on a mission or he wouldn't know how to explain his panic attack at having to face the other Uchiha when they've never really spoken before. Because Yujirou had not yet graduated from the Academy and has not been properly named a member of the shinobi ranks yet, he was not required to attend clan meetings. He and Itachi had never needed to be in the same place. And though, he and Sasuke shared the same class (the only two Uchiha in the year and they had been put in the same class, who decided that, really?), they barely acknowledge the fact that they come from the same clan, lived in the same compound, and that, more often than not, ended up walking side by side in the morning on their way to the Academy.

Uchiha Yujirou did not think was not very popular with the kids his age in the first place. Being raised by someone like Genma whose brand of humor and sass took years to get used to meant death to his socializing skils. He could only be grateful that a mutual understanding of ignoring each other's existence was reached pretty early on.

Then again, everyone, regardless of whether they came from clans or not, preferred to interact with Uchiha at a distance. There must be some unwritten rule that Uchiha kids were meant to be silently adored from afar, unless you were Fugaku and Mikoto's children, of course. Then, you were to be adored from afar with much squealing and fangirl screeching. Truth be told, Yujirou has always found a tad bit of satisfaction in Sasuke's uncomfortable squirming whenever his gaggling group of fangirls gush over him. Seriously, you go showing off your clan-learned abilities in front of impressionable six-year-olds and you still wonder where did you go wrong in life? Poor boy. Compared to Sasuke-the-most-promising-academy-student-probably-since-Itachi-what-are-those-uchiha-feeding-their-kids, Yujirou is _average_.

Yujirou didn't think Sasuke had been trying to boast on purpose. Being the second son of the clan head and _the_ Uchiha Itachi's younger brother… well, those are some huge shadows cast on him. Besides, if Yujirou had not been an Uchiha or didn't have some adult in his life who regularly showed and taught him neat tricks, he'd be awed too, he reckons.

After the meal, the Uchiha clan heads leave to meet with the clan elders. He was instructed to stay put in the guest bedroom beside Sasuke's. The two boys bid them both goodbye and continued to ignore each other.

Alone in the room, Yujirou promptly decides to attempt to dispel the very elaborate illusion he found himself trapped in. Except he now know things that he hadn't _before_.

The tension between the Uchiha and the village was much more severe than Yujirou had initially believed. But why?

Fugaku had known his mother. Yujirou was not just some random Uchiha orphan in the clan head's eyes. He was the son of a woman he had once considered as a friend.

Then he was apparently very distantly related to the main family through Mikoto-sama. So Itachi, who ends up killing him, is actually a cousin too, isn't he?

And also, Genma was still trying to get him out of the Uchiha compound so he could live with him

He felt his heart clench at the revelation. They hadn't talked about it in a long time. It seemed futile, after all. But Genma-nii hasn't stopped pressing on the matter.

How could this be an illusion? Besides, hasn't he activated his Sharingan now, and two tomoe at that too?

Still dubious, he takes out one of the senbon his guardian had given him and, gripping it tightly with his right fist, stabs it straight to his left palm.

The pain was _very_ real. Blood pools on his hand and Yujirou feels wetness gathering on the corner of his eyes. Whether from the pain or the sheer relief of finally convincing himself that this was not a dream and he's not dead yet, he wasn't sure.

But some things still stand.

Uchiha Yujirou will possibly die in ten months.

Uchiha Shisui will possibly be found dead in four months, his eye-less corpse floating in the Naka River.

It could still happen. It would most likely happen, if he does nothing about it.

Uchiha Yujirou does not want to die and does not want Shisui-nii to die.

Uchiha Itachi will run the blade through his chest, through his heart. The clan heir _will_ kill him-has killed him, in fact- but Yujirou is still not convinced that the other boy really killed Shisui. Shisui could have really killed himself, after all. But it doesn't matter either way, because Yujirou will not let anyone kill Shisui nor let him kill himself. Stupid Shisui-nii.

He is not sure how Shisui is connected to everything that happened after he is gone. It was a hunch, a baseless guess. But then again, gut instincts were part of being a shinobi just as much as skills were.

Things were complicated. They were way, way beyond Yujirou's comprehension. But his six-year-old mind simply tells him that he should gift Shisui-nii eye protectors, maybe like one of those sturdy goggles he had once seen on an Uchiha kid in an old photograph.

(He wasn't sure if orange was a flattering color on Shisui-nii, so he hopes sturdy goggles like those came in other colors.)

An Uchiha's eyes is his life, a tutor had once told him. Maybe if Shisui got to keep his he wouldn't have had to die.

x

Breakfast the next morning was quiet and awkward. Sasuke continues to eye him warily. No one had really explained his sudden presence in their household. Kids activate their Sharingan all the time and all they really needed to learn was how to activate and deactivate the ability so it wouldn't eat away at their chakra reserves completely. But no one was telling him anything so Sasuke wasn't really aware that the adults didn't know what triggered Yujirou's bloodline limit. He didn't know that Yujirou's Sharingan was an anomaly and potentially dangerous to Yujirou himself. It was too random. It was unheard of to have a Sharingan activated in the middle of having lunch, even if one had the heart and mentality of an Akimichi. Not only that, but in quick successions too. For all they know, this could a new breed of chakra sickness. Fugaku decided to play it safe. He had requested a private meeting with the clan elders as soon as possible.

Sasuke leaves for the academy alone as Fugaku had still not permitted Yujirou to leave the older Uchihas' supervision. Not long after their son's departure, Fugaku made his way to the MPF headquarters.

While Yujirou was not popular with kids his age, adults, on the other hand, adored him. And the older they were, the easier it was for Yujirou to deal with them. He may have gotten Genma-nii's often misunderstood humor, but he had also picked up on the older shinobi's affable demeanor. He knew compromise, knew how to pick his battles. As an infiltration specialist, Genma knew the value of a level-head and patience. Kids his age often tested his patience to its limits and level-headedness at the face of irrational students was futile. (Genma-nii could have been part Nara with the way he had handled Yujirou as a toddler, making sure his kid will never be one of those troublesome mediocre bunch.) But adults knew what those virtues were and appreciated them, especially from someone so young.

The first few hours of the morning was spent helping Mikoto clean up the house, though the Lady Uchiha had declined his offer at first, insisting that he was a guest.

"But I don't mind it, Uchiha-sama. In fact, it would make me feel better after suddenly imposing on your hospitality last night."

"Ah, such a polite young boy you are. My Sasuke could learn from you. He's just such a shy boy, you know. Determined, yes. But shy."

Well, 'shy' really wasn't how Yujirou would describe the other Uchiha boy. More like, you couldn't even pay him to care about other people who weren't his immediate family. But he wasn't about to tell Mikoto that. He only smiles in response.

Living alone has its perks, he guessed. He doubted that Sasuke knew how to do his own laundry. He could cook his own food too, though not as well as he would've liked. Genma-nii has always instilled in him a habit of immediately cleaning after his mess. And the less time he had to spend cleaning, the more time he had to watch Genma-nii train. (Genma is a great instructor when it comes to theory, but training a six-year-old himself was a bit out of his league… wouldn't want to mess up his own kid after all.)


	4. Uchiha Yujirou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Uchiha Shisui makes an appearance.

**xxx ooo xxx**  
Part 4: Uchiha Yujirou  
They laughed and asked, why would they?  
xxx ooo xxx

Doing the house chores with Mikoto was very different from doing it alone. They did not speak much, yet just knowing that there was someone else with him made a world of difference. And Yujirou will admit feeling proud of himself when the Lady of the house deemed his work up to par with her standards.

"You know, when my husband and I had just started living together, he had tried helping with the chores. Now, Fugaku is a fine shinobi and a great leader. But after one week, I had to put down my foot. We received many beautiful tea sets from our friends and family and less than half of them survived Fugaku's hands. I never quite figured out how he managed it. At first, I suspected he was doing it on purpose to get out of the work, but he never could lie to me. Well, we just had to cut our losses."

Yujirou tried to reconcile the image of their stoic clan head with the incompetent husband Mikoto-sama was describing. It brought a small smile to his face.

"Itachi used to help around the house too. But as heir, he always had too much on his plate. I just wanted him to be able to enjoy his time at home and relax," the woman continued. "Sasuke is a different story all together. He's more interested in catching up to Itachi. That boy spends all his time training." Though she said it with the same pride in her voice as any shinobi parent would have, there was a trace of sorrow in the last statement.

It was still pretty early in the morning. The pair had moved to outside to tend to Mikoto's modest garden. Most of the plants she kept had herbal properties. And most of them were given freely to the Uchiha clinic and Kohona Hospital.

"What I have here can't compare to the what Yoshino has under her supervision in the Nara forest, but it helps," Mikoto explained.

Yujirou didn't know much about plants yet. But he had hoped to learn more about them from Genma, specifically the poisonous ones. Yujirou was busy taking in the different varieties of plants around him when he saw the most peculiar thing. There was a single rose bush on the farthest corner of the plot. He wouldn't have noticed it really it it weren't for the fact that its unhealthy state was a stark contrast to Mikoto's other plants.

"That's Sasuke's. We got it when he turned four. He's been neglecting it since he started training harder for the academy. He liked the red of the flowers when they're in full bloom. He says it reminds him of us. Fugaku told me not to bother with it. It is Sasuke's plant, after all--" she clears her throat and lowers her voice "--that boy will learn the meaning of responsibility. His actions have consequences. By willfuly ignoring the plan despite your reminders, he had failed it. Thinking like that is not permissable on the field," she continues in a mock-Fugaku tune. "I admit though, I might have spoiled our youngest a bit."

There was a pause on Mikoto's hands. Keeping her lax smile, she turned to the younger Uchiha beside her, "I love Itachi. But I always knew I would have to give him up to the clan some day. It was the duty and responsibility of the first born, just like it was my duty as the clan head's wife to ensure the Uchiha an heir. With Sasuke, it's not like that."

These were things Yujirou didn't know from _before_. He never knew firsthand the kind of people the clan heads were. But having been been in their care for the last twelve hours had _made them real_. They were icons yes. Yujirou held great respect for their achievements in the last war. Both were Elite Jounin with fearsome reputations across the Elemental Nations. They were possibly the best leaders the Uchiha has ever had. Yet they were also a mother, a father, a wife, and a husband.

In ten months, Itachi will try to slaughter the whole clan. Yujirou wonders if the woman and her husband beside him would fall by her son's blade too. Was it something they did? Was there something they could have done to stop Itachi?

Mikoto drags him back inside an hour or so before noon. It was customary for her to prepare lunch, pack it, and have it with Fugaku in his office. Sometimes though, he would ask his wife not to bring food, opting instead for one of the Akimichi-owned food establishments, either to dine in the place or order take out. On this particular day, Mikoto has already a standing order, ready to be delivered at Fugaku's office at exactly noon.

"I really don't want to impose further, Mikoto-sama. I could just stay out and meet you outside the MPF building after an hour," Yujirou insisted, slightly more nervous at the prospect of spending more time with his clan heads alone and inside the MPF office to boot.

He was an Uchiha no-name orphan. What business did he have with the clan's leading figures? Oh, no one was going to question Fugaku _and_ Mikoto, but it doesn't mean words won't travel. They were shinobi of the leaf. Gossip ~~at the pretense of information gathering, ha~~ ran through their blood. Yujirou has no interest getting prodded by the Elders if news got out that he has unlocked his Sharingan.

The Lady Uchiha understood and did not press to change his mind. "Yujirou-kun, we don't mind having you around. We are family, and as fellow clansmen, you will always have the Uchiha's support."

Yujirou had been having such an uneventful morning that he had been able to push his current predicaments to the back of his mind. As the main family lives at the heart of the compound, they did not encounter very many Uchiha on the way to Fugaku's work. The adults, shinobi and civilian alike, have their own jobs. The kids not old enough to attend the Academy were probably at Uchiha Fukumi's house, learning the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetics. Not all Uchiha children go through Fukumi. Sasuke had been personally taught by his own mother. But orphans like Yujirou or children with busy parents usually let the forty-year-old retired shinobi handle the kids' early education. It was a great show of trust in Fukumi's ability to keep the Uchiha children safe.

Recently there has been a massive decline in birth of new clan children that had made the older generation more paranoid of their safety. Since the previous wars had really taken a toll on the number of Uchiha active shinobi, all the children were expected to try for the academy. At the moment, barely a third of the clan's total population are trained shinobi. To add to that, in the past year, one Uchiha special jounin went MIA and three chunin were killed in action.

It wasn't until they were closer to the outer ring of the compound where there were small businesses and therefore more people that Yujirou started to _see the dead._

He knows their faces. Not all their names. But he knows their faces. _Share the same blood with them._ He had seen their faces for the past few years, milling around the clan lands and minding their own business. He's greeted them in the morning. They've given him sweets and had asked about his training in passing. They doted on him because he was one of the rare young Uchiha. They've told him to do well in class. Make the clan proud. Protect Konoha and serve her well.

And now, he's also seen the faces they make when they die.

The coppery scent in the air, a river of blood on the streets, red staining the walls; dead Uchihas in their homes, in their stalls, in their backyards. Black eyes. Red eyes. Lifeless. Mouths set in agony and screams forever silent.

Yujirou stood frozen jn the street. One moment he was following Lady Uchiha and the next, he is standing on a river of blood, his killer-to-be preparing to strike his heart.

"Yujirou-kun?"

Mikoto-sama is kneeling in front of him. Some of the elderly Uchiha stopped moving to stare at the pair. No one got too close, but they were frowning in concern and curiosity.

Cold sweat ran down his brows. Yujirou felt like someone had set an exploding tag on his insides with the way his whole being was shaking. Then there was a hand on his face and another on his shoulder.

"Yujirou-kun, what's wrong?"

Yujirou wants to speak, wants to tell her he's fine. But he couldn't will his voice out.

"Mikoto-sama? Yu-chan?" A voice from his left says. It was familiar and comforting and something Yujirou thought he'd never hear again.

Uchiha Shisui, fifteen years old, in all his mud and dirt-streaked glory, stood there, very much alive and breathing and in possession of both his eyes.

With much difficulty, Yujirou manages to tear his eyes away from the older Uchiha male, back to the woman in front of him.

"Mikoto-sama, I think, I'm just tired. I'll be heading back now. I feel like resting. Please don't let me keep you from meeting with Fugaku-sama," he manages to say, though with too much stiffness even for him.

It was clear that Mikoto was hesistant to leave him.

"Is Yu-chan sick? I'm not really doing anything today. I don't mind staying with him, Mikoto-sama," Shisui offered, closing the distance between them in no time. "But I hope you don't mind of we drop by my house first. As you can see, as dashing as I am, what I'm wearing now is still not fit for company." He grins, quickly dispeling the sombre mood that had taken over Yujirou and Mikoto.

It struck Yujirou then just how much Shisui exuded life. Every inch of him buzzed with emotion. From the tips of his dark curly hair to the crinkle below his eyes. It was in the way his chest moved to complete a breathe and in the shift of his posture to favor a leg in a more lax stance. The thought of him dead _gonenomore_ was so, so wrong even though it was something he had lived with for months. Or perhaps, he never really thought Shisui dead. Perhaps he had still been waiting for him to get back from another long mission. That wasn't unusual for Shisui-nii. He was -- is -- one of Konoha's strongest jounin.

(Ah. Could he had been ANBU like Genma-nii? It wouldn't be too farfetched. Shisui-nii was much younger, but his skills were second only to Itachi, after all.)

He had always seemed like a shinobi who would live to a hundred. Shisui could live forever, and Yujirou was sure no one would raise questions.

Shisui has the uncanny ability to make everything seem okay. And with him finally here _alive and breathing and not drowned in Naka River_ , Yujirou could almost forget the giant ticking clock spelling his and his clansmen's death in less than a year.


	5. Uchiha Fukumi, Uchiha Yujirou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Presenting: alive Uchiha Shisui.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! :D I hope you take the time to read this note.
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and subscriptions. I honestly did not expect much audience for this work. I'm posting this chapter (which is btw a bit longer than usual) early because I might forget to next week.
> 
> I really appreciate those who took their time to leave a review. I hope you continue to enjoy this story. I would really like to hear what you think of this story. What made you check it out? Why follow? How is the OC I made up? Is there anything you'd like to see more?
> 
> I'm half-way through writing everything. I think that if this story ends up getting 20+ comments, I'd update once everyday after writing the final chapter. Hopefully it would be soon. I don't really want to drag out the plot. My priority is to just get this story done :)

**xxx ooo xxx**

**Part 5: Uchiha Fukumi, Uchiha Yujirou**  
**Death did not seem like a friendly folk.**

**xxx ooo xxx**

Uchiha Fukumi is strict but fair. He was not needlessly cruel nor rude to Yujirou, even when the child Uchiha asked too many questions that poked sore spots and still-healing wounds about Konoha's involvement in previous wars. Fukumi had, after all, been old enough to understand the devastation the Second War wrought and then, old enough to participate himself during the the Third War.

Still, Fukumi was not a perfect man. He could only mutter a small thanks to heaven that Yujirou did not seem trying to be a difficult child deliberately. Well, his current and only student for the time being has never been a difficult child- a surprise considering the orphaned boy was still being shuffled back and forth through different families- yet the boy has not been turning in his assignments for three days now. And Fukumi was sure those questions were far below the kid's skill level. He was still grateful though that his students remained polite towards him. However, Yujirou remained constantly distracted during lectures.

"Yujirou-kun if you would please-"

"Fu-sensei!" A loud obnoxious voice yells. A body came tumbling from the open window soon after. "Our C-rank got bumped into a high B-rank. Again!"

"Yes, how unfortunate. But unless you wanna go back to being a pre-genin brat, explain to me again what are you doing here?" Fukumi says and is promptly ignored by the newcomer.

"I swear they keep giving our team these C-ranks, because they know they'd end up getting bumped higher. And it's flattering that they believe we could handle faulty intel, but can we be assigned simple and relatively stress-free courier missions at least _sometimes_?!"

Ah, yes, perilous C-ranks. Yujirou has heard all about them from _him_ , the person he was trying hard not to think about at the moment.

And he's also heard of Uchiha Shisui. The clan's pride and joy… next to Itachi. His current team, from what Yujirou remembers, was an experimental one composed of two other Uchiha, a Hyuuga, and a Nara. He can't remember the specifics of why such a team was being developed. Shisui was assigned the captain and the Nara was next in command. But more importantly, Yujirou's barely four-year-old mind cannot seem to accept how this unkempt goofy boy is the same extremely talented shinobi his older clansmen praise.

"Hey, aren't you that Genma's kid?" The said disappoinment turned his attentiom on him, realizing that Fukumi-sensei is indeed teaching another Uchiha child.

Yujirou's frown deepens and he huffs out a response, "For your information, I have a name- Yu-ji-rou." He fumbles, still pouting, and refuses to meet the other's eyes. "And Shiranui-san is not my father nor is he my guardian. He is simply a shinobi my parents used to work with and now he sometimes play with me."

Shisui started to laugh. "Nah, Chibi-chan, I'm pretty sure you're Shiranui-san's kid. Just look at that attitude." His laugh was a full unrestrained laughter that Yujirou has never seen in any other Uchiha, unless that Uchiha was literally a baby.

Fukumi drags his hand down his face, frown lines apparent on his brows. "Well, it doesn't seem like we're getting anything done today. Yujirou, don't come back until you're sure you could give me one hundred percent of your attention. Also, give me those essays I assigned you. Dismissed."

The man left the room. Yujirou was sure he was headed down to the kitchen to fix himself a cup of tea. He turned to glare at the shinobi leaning by the window, before turning back to his notes for the day's lecture. It didn't seem like they were useful. They were worse than his usual standards.

"Well, someone's been having a bad day."

Yujirou started to gather his materials, refusing to acknowledge Shisui's words.

"Did Shiranui-san do something to piss you off?"

If possible, his glare turns deadlier. If looks could kill, Shisui would be long rotting six feet under.

"Geez, kid. I didn't know you could be like this. You always looked like a soft kitten when you're with your handler."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replies tersely, "If you would please excuse me Shisui-san, I have homework."

"Oy, don't be like those geezers in the Elder Council. Call me Shisui-nii or Shisui-sempai, after all, we're both students of Fu-sensei. Don't make me sound too old," the older boy takes a few srep closer to ruffle Yujirou's hair. He quickly batted the offending limb away.

"If it's not about something Genma did, is it becsuse of what he did not do?" Shisui*-san* added.

Yujirou continued to gather his things. He stood up and prepared to leave. All of the sudden, he feels a weight drop on his head. Shisui has rested both his arms atop his head, emphasizing the height differences between them. Even among his age group, Shisui has always been taller then average. He still had the litheness that most Uchiha possessed, but he was most definitely going to grow up a mountain of a man.

"Well, Chibi-chan, that's awfully uncute of you. As an Uchiha child without actual shinobi education yet, all you've got going for you is your disarmingly good looks. Just imagine what would happen if you don't even have that." He sighs theatrically, moving one hand to touch his forehead.

Yujirou tried to dislodge the annoying male away from his head. It was then that Yujirou did the most un-Uchiha thing he has ever done- shriek in frustration.

x

The trek to Shisui's house was slow. The two walk hand in hand, not talking but rather, basking in the comfortable silence which was unusual for the older male.

Uchiha Shisui enjoyed telling stories just as much as he did listening to them. It was simply a polite way of saying that Shisui was just as huge a gossip as he was a strong jonin. He most likely had an ear in all of Konoha's clans _and_ the civilian sector. For your information, Shisui is a very capable shinobi and thus, he knew the value of _knowing things._ This is also why he and Genma got along so well.

The said house is conveniently located five minutes away from the main family's. Because he is Shisui of the Shunshin, that distance is barely a breathe away to him. And he also took advantage of that fact to frequently bother the clan heir, cementing a solid relationship between the two through Uchiha Shisui's sheer force of stuborness and Uchiha Itachi's prolonged exposure to his cousin several times removed or something.

Shisui's hand was warm and rough and enclosed Yujirou's own hands completely. If it had been any other young boy, the hand-holding would not have happened. But Yujirou has always been a physically affectionated child. When Shisui offered his hand after Mikoto left, Yujirou did not hesitate to take it. And onwards they went to the modest house Shisui inherited from his parents whose names now also adorned Konoha's memorial stone.

Genma had always claimed that it was something he inherited from his father whom he never actually met. Miyu had been a typically stoic Uchiha and none of his caretakers as a baby had been particularly tactile. If he and Shisui had met a earlier, Shisui could have taken the credit for Yujirou's penchance for physical affection. But he'd come into the picture way too late for that. And for that matter, not even Genma had been the sort to hug and be touchy-feely. Though the brunet had never been turned away a hug from his kid, of course. He _is_ 'd probably even forgive Yujirou for murdering the Hokage if it ever came to that. Yet all he initiates first are limited to pats on the head or an awkward arm around the shoulder. Not bad at all, considering how paranoid shinobi are with their personal space.

Yujirou is six, turning seven very soon and dying not long after that. Along with him are all the other Uchiha he saw and those Itachi will kill after him. _Who gets to clean up after the mess? How many Uchiha will have to bear the weight of the clan's legacy after Itachi?_

But before that, Shisui-nii will lose his eyes and die a horrible death. A death with no honor inside Konoha's very own walls. His grip on the older boy's hand tighten almost painfully. Shisui says nothing, only answers by giving the smaller hand a gentle squeeze.

Yujirou wonders how Itachi could have gone about his killing. The clan heir was named clan as such not just because he is Fugaku's first born. Despite his youth, he already had the strength, wisdom, and maturity for the position. (Shisui could have fought him for the title. But the older male had vehemently insisted on solely remaining an active shinobi of Konoha. Yujirou has heard rants about it, of Shisui-nii complaining about red-eyed meddling wrinkly raisins of the Uchiha Elder Council.)

Yujirou still does not completely believe what he saw happen in that _other life._ Things have changed now. This wasn't how this day went the last time he lived it. There were things he knew now that he didn't know before. And suddenly, he's seeing things about Uchiha that he hadn't noticed before. Like how completely isolated they were from the general Konoha populace. Like how secluded their clan grounds were compared to the others. It wouldn't be a surprise if it took hours for the other shinobi to realize what happened here. The district was too out of the way for Konoha's patrol that the Uchiha had just opted to use the members of the MPF to do the rounds.

It was a certainty that Itachi had gone for the able-bodied shinobi first. They were the only ones capable of calling back-up at such a distance. He could have gone for either the patrol group or the MPF headquarters first. There were only a handful of Uchiha jounin left. And Yujirou was not sure how many of them could go against Itachi toe to toe. Itachi was a great fighter, but even he should have had a hard time fighting fifty-something Uchiha.

Ah.

But they _were_ shinobi.

They were never conditioned to fight fair in the first place, were they?

Without the shinobi to protect the civilians and the children, it wouldn't be hard to attack and dispose of the rest clan members.

Still, it still begs the question why.

Why was the Uchiha treated so unfairly?

Why were they attacked?

Why Itachi? Why did Itach go against his clan?

And why is Yujirou still here here again. Of course he did not want to die again. And of course he wouldn't let Shisui-nii die either. But how?

They reached Shisui's house and Yujirou decided to wait outside, knowing exactly how the place would look. The last he had been there was after Shisui's funeral. Scrolls and half-used mission supplies were all over the floor. Unwashed uniforms were discarded on one corner and training gear on another. Stray kunai and shuriken were embedded on random points on the walls. Shisui's house looked terribly lived, though it also looked like it was lived in by an incompetent shinobi.

Shisui would have offered him tea as he sat on the front porch waiting. His kitchen was actually the cleanest part of his home, but only because he rarely used the space. He survived on take-outs and on the generosity and goodwill of his friends. He often crashed at one of his teammates place for meal. Yujirou did not so much that Shisui was an awful host. As far as quirks of jounin go, Shisui's pale in comparison to other shinobi.

Yujirou is six and just an academy student. He does not know enough. He is not strong enough and he is definitely no match for Itachi. And who could he tell? Who would believe him? Telling anyone about the massacre would just cast doubt and suspicion on himself. He could get dragged to T&I, and even if he were proven innocent, would they let him go? For all he knows, he could just get shipped to R&D for experiments after that. Yujirou shudders at the thought.

Was he even supposed to try and change things? What if _this_ was just meant to give him time to say goodbye to Genma-nii? What if there was nothing that he could do and that resistance was futile?

Why is he here again? He was no one special. He should have just died like he was supposed to. Why couldn't he even do that properly?

_Ah. But he doesn't really mean it, does he? It would break Genma-nii's heart. And he promised Shisui-nii to be stronger than him. How could he do that if he dies at seven, not even a genin yet?_

But there is so much to do and he doesn't even know where to begin.

The weight of what was left to him, the things he wants to do, things he has to do, the choices he would make- _everything_ was a crushing pressure on his chest making it impossible to breathe. He. Can't. _**Breathe**_.

He falls to his knees. A soft thump on the bamboo floor. There was pressure behind his eyes and wetness in his cheeks. Familiar yet altogether new.

"Yuji-chan." Shisui's voice was gentle. The younger male feels him settle beside him. "Fugaku-sama has told me about this. Well, not directly and not in so many words. But he said you might need a friend right now, an Uchiha friend to be exact."

Yujirou can still feel the pounding of his heart; sense still oversensitive to everything. Shisui-nii takes both of Yujirou's hands from the boy's chest he hadn't realized he's been clawing at and puts them down.

"Can you deactivate your eyes? Fugaku-sama told me he already taught you how. I don't really know how to shut it off for you short of knocking you out. That's what Genma-san did, wasn't it?"

He nods, blinks, and his eyes are back to deep black as opposed to Sharingan red.

"Ah, there you go." Shisui-nii smiles and helps him stand.

"Are you hurting somewhere else?"

Yujirou shakes his head.

"Yuji-chan, is someone hurting you?"

He didn't really know how to answer. Does Itachi killing him in the future count?

"Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Yujirou was preparing to answer in the negative but stopped just before he opened his mouth. He looked at the other Uchiha in the eye and steeled his resolve, "Not right now."

"Hmm." Shisui was just glad Yujirou was talking again. "Will you tell me about it later?"

There was hesitation, but Yujirou nodded to himself, as if finally reaching an important decision.

"Yes. Not today. But soon."

"So, do you know why and how you got _those_?"

Yujirou has always been a terrible liar with Genma-nii and could only fool Shisui-nii half the time. It was risky to try it right then, so he opted for a noncommital shrug instead.

"Well, I better get you back to Mikoto-sama's. You need plenty of rest. Unlocking your Sharingan might have made your chakra system a bit wonky, even if you don't realize it yet."

Shisui turned back to the path and started walking to the direction of clan heads' home. He did not need to check if his younger clansman was going to follow.

Yujirou tried to memorize the way Uchiha Shisui looked. With his form against the noonday light, it almost seemed like he could battle even with the sun . Yujirou's fists beside him tighten, his resolve to keep Shisui-nii safe and alive, stronger than ever.

 

 


	6. Uchiha Yujirou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing exciting happens, but there's some more Shisui and a preview of Genma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late chapter! I've had a busy week with work and stuff o3o. Next chapter might be a bit late too oAo

**xxx ooo xxx**  
**Part 6: Uchiha Yujirou**  
**I frowned and stomped away from them.**  
**xxx ooo xxx**

Yujirou was tired when they arrived at the house. He was just about to fall over when they reached the room he was staying at. He does not remember ever feeling this worn out, not even when Genma-nii started to make Yujirou run laps with him in the mornings. He was probably still on diapers when he last felt this weak and in need of sleep. Well, then again, he had just died no less than twenty-four hours ago.

The child Uchiha had swallowed his pride and timidly asked Shisui-nii to stay to which his only response was hugging the boy and making an annoying cooing sound, as if Yujirou was just as cute as newborn kittens. Shisui-nii had even lain on the bed. Playing like a particularly unattractive mother, coaxing her son to her bossom. Yujirou wish he could unsee that. Shisui didn't need to do that. He wanted him to stay, but he didn't need to be that close-

 _oh god, this is what I get for asking in the first place. Why are you like this, Shisui-nii? You are a disgrace to all our Uchiha forefathers. Please stop. I still don't want you to die, but I will_ harm _you, I swear. I know how to use the kunai now… and Genma-nii gifted me two dozen senbon for my birthday. I know you know I can use them efficiently._

Yujirou had grumbled a bit and the older boy kept grinning and patting the space beside him. They both knew it was half-hearted protest at best.

When he next awaken, he is alone in the room. There is a rumbling from his stomach and he's reminded that he hasn't eaten lunch yet. He checks the time and finds he's been sleeping for just a little over an hour.

Downstairs, Shisui is in the kitchen, stirring something in the pot. He does not believe for one second that it was Shisui who prepared whatever it was.

"Mikoto-sama should have been back by now," Yujirou says.

"Uh-huh. Got called by one of the ladies to help with something. But look, she made this for us. It's just about to be done."

Yujirou sets the table for the both of them and waits for Shisui to finish.

Mikoto comes back just as the boys finish cleaning up. Shisui bids the two good-bye, saying he actually still has a report to finish. Mikoto only gives him an unimpressed look as he shunshins aways from the house.

He's still forbidden from doing anything too physical or exercises that might be too disruptive to his chakra's rest state. As a compromise, Mikoto allowed him in their family's private library. And it was amazing how many non-Uchiha books were in there. It was only logical. Fugaku and Mikoto had been friends with a lot of those who eventually became clan heads. An exchange of valuable information could only do Konoha good.

Yujirou was not the most avid of readers, but with nothing else to do, he chose a thin volume about the early history of Konoha written by one Yamanaka Suzu. There was also a rather thick volume from the Inuzuka clan about various myths and legends. He took that one too.

The rest of the afternoon passed by in relative peace.

Sasuke came back just as the sun was setting. Knowing where his mother would be, the young boy went straight to tthe kitchen and found Yujirou helping Mikoto prepare dinner.

There was a brief shock when their eyes met. It was Yujirou who nodded first in acknowledgment. Sasuke must not have expected Yujirou to still be there. Yujirou could only hope that Sasuke won't grow to resent him for taking up much of his own parents' time. If Genma-nii started to pay attention to someone else, Yujirou bet he'd grow envious and possessive.

"Well, I guess it's good that you're here. Now, I won't have to walk far to give this to you." With that, Sasuke had handed him a short stack of papers from the Academy. "That's everything you missed today. Are coming back to the academy tomorrow?"

Yujirou looked to the boy's mother, not entirely sure how to answer. Mikoto had been gracious in helping him.

"Well, actually, Yujirou-kun will have to rest for another day before we could let him back."

"Hn. Sensei said I could either bring those back tomorrow or you could submit them yourselves when you start going to school again."

Yujirou is not sure if Sasuke had been displeased by that. His face remained calm. There were no tells indicating irk from having to do extra errands for Yujirou's sake. They're not friends and could barely consider each other acquaintance, so Yujirou wouldn't be surprised if Sasuke thought him troublesome.

He skims through the papers for a bit. He could probably finish it tonight.

"Thank you. I don't mind giving this to Sensei myself," he tells Sasuke. The boy nodded. Yujirou turned to Mikoto. "Mikoto-sama, is there anything else I could help you with? If not, may I be excused? I'd like to get these done as soon as possible."

The woman smiles at him. "We could take it from here. We'll justl call you for dinner."

x

As expected, Yujirou managed to finish the worksheets in just a little over an hour. After doible checking his answers, he put them away and retrieved one of the books he had borrowed from the family's small library. However, his thought wandered towards Itachi's younger brother.

Could he have turned his weapons against Sasuke too? But he's _Itachi_. And Shisui-nii had always teased him about his budding brother complex. Could he even bare thinking of hurting his little brother?

In theory, Sasuke and Yujirou should have made great friends. They're of the same age, same classes, and were both brought up in the same manner as most Uchiha go through. Though Sasuke, being Fugaku's son, received more taijutsu instruction than Yujirou; Yujirou's own skills did not pale too much in comparison. Sasuke might be physically more capable than Yujirou- his steps, a bit quicker; his hits, a little more forceful. But Yujirou was better at thinking on his feet- making split second decisions just as his opponent is pulling back for a punch. All in all their abilities even out. They would even be good for each other in the long run. Their competitive Uchiha temperament would have pushed for them to improve, to not get too left behind.

So in theory, they were a great match, but the fact is they're not, far from it.

Sasuke did not like any of his peers. He was always chasing after Itachi's back. He simply did not find his classmates important enough to waste his time on. He excelled, because it was the only way he knew how to get his father and brother's attention. Met with those impossible standards set by his family, Sasuke rested in the sad in-between of not being good enough to beat Itachi and more than good enough compared to his fellow academy students.

Does he even have friends?

Yujirou, on the otherhand, is too laidback to really be able to connect with someone so terribly exhausting (read: motivated). He might not have inherited Genma's ability to turn everything into a joke, but he did get the older shinobi's level-headedness. _Hey, we've just gotta live and let die._

Yujiroi does not make it a habit to set very high goals. His dreams for the future are modest, especially if you compare it to one Uzumaki Naruto who did everything he could so people would know he'd be the next Hokage. Yujirou's longterm plan in life was simply to get good enough to be able to apply as Genma-nii's apprentice in T&I. He's not really interested in making a name for himself in the shinobi world. Being famous, like the Legendary Sannin or the Yellow Flash, just paints a big red target on your back. Yujirou would die happy if his name and a Bingo Book never got to meet.

(Yujirou has never contemplated joining ANBU before. They'd always seem to be untouchable figures in his mind, and rightfully so as they are shinobi of the shadow. But hearing that Genma is one made him rethink his initial decision. He has no particular opinion on the types of missions the masks go to. He just had to have faith that whatever it is is done for the good of Konoha.)

 _Before_ there was simply nothing to bind Yujirou and Sasuke together. But now that they're forced to be in each other's company brought upon by Yujirou's mysterious… circumstances, he wonders how much could possibly change between them.

x

Two more days pass in relative peace. Yujirou continued to stay with the main family and Sasuke brought him his worksheets from the accademy. Fugaku had asked him to stay with them for the whole week. He would be allowed to attend the Academy with Sasuke within a day or two again. (Sasuke might have felt an even greater need to protect Yujirou with the way Mikoto phrased her request to keep an eye on him.) Though there is still minimal conversation between the two boys.

Yujirou mostly spent his forced break from academy helping Mikoto around the house. In return, Mikoto promised to oversee his basic Sharingan training after the Uchiha Council meeting where Fugaku would bring him before the Elders to determine if his suddenly-activated Sharingan would bring him harm.

There were ways to seal their bloodline limit Ways that aren't as "barbaric" and "cruel" as what the Hyuuga uses but just as effective if not more. It's a ferociously guarded secret. No more than five Uchiha at a time are allowed to learn it. It was a technique developed before Konoha. Not even the Uchiha Madara was allowed to know it. At one point, it became too dangerous a knowledge to be openly shared that the previous Uchiha Elder Council had deemed it safer to keep within the clan. All written records were burned and they made it seem like a lost technique with all its known users dead. As the face of shinobi to the civilians, it would boost the morale of the people - make them feel safer - if they believe that the Uchiha are strong and invincible.

On the eve of the third night, Genma-nii comes barging in through Yujirou's room in the main family's house.

 

xxx

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> A/N: Next chapter is pretty long and with more Genma content. Can't wait for yall to read it. Things seem slow right now, but yeah one of the reviewers got it right--the climax and resolution of DiSM happen in quick successions :"3c 
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> Thank you so much for reading! R&R. 
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	7. Uchiha Yujirou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiranui Genma makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm alive! I've actually had this chapter written for weeks now, but editing for upload on mobile is very hard. Also, the next upload will take longer, because I've decided to finish the fic first :) Hopefully yall stick around til then. Thank you! Sorry!

**xxx ooo xxx**  
Part 7: Uchiha Yujirou  
Still I hear their laugh.  
xxx ooo xxx

Yujirou wasn't sure if he was allowed to see Genma-nii in his ANBU uniform. He must have just come back from a mission. Yujirou can see dark bruises and tiny cuts forming on the man's arm. There is a particularly nasty wound just centimeters away from Genma-nii's right eye, a little more closer and a little bit deeper, he would have come back to Yujirou one eye less.

(Shisui-nii lost both eyes and did not come back at all.)

This is the first time Yujirou has seen Genma-nii so rattled. He wonders if what happened from _before_ also affected this… reality.

"Before" has become such a terrifying word - concept - to Yujirou. It feels like he's living a completely different life now despite all the things that stayed the same. Maybe it is mostly because he was living the same days but now he has a cheat; he knows things he shouldn't, he knows things he didn't before, and he sees a bit more than he did before.

Genma-nii from before has never looked this broken.

"Genma-nii? Have you been to the Hospital?" He says slowly and carefully from where he had just gotten up from the bed.

Genma-nii stands frozen in the middle of the room. Not like a rabbit caught in a predator's sight, but rather, a huge beast preparing to pounce. In the dark, Yujirou can still see how strung his Genma-nii is. His eyes are shifty and unforgiving, yet there wasn't madness there. No, the boy thinks this is the eyes of an ANBU-trained shinobi assessing a mission. And maybe, Yujirou thinks this might have been the eyes he had when he first doubted the reality of being back there again.

There were multiple flares of chakra coming from outside the room. Yujirou can barely tell them apart, can't even be sure how many there were. Before… he wouldn't have doubted his safety within the Uchiha compound. But he knew now how quickly he could be proven wrong. He can't tell who they were. He can't tell if they were an enemy, if they came to hurt him or Genma-nii. Instincts told him to get closer to his guardian, and Yujirou did. But he'd barely stepped when two masked shinobi appeared behind Genma, and at the same time, the door opened to reveal Fugaku in his night kimono.

Silence reigned for moment. The tension in the air was thick and made the young Uchiha hold his breathe.

"Genma-nii?" Yujirou would never admit that it sounded very much like a whine.

Genma's features soften considerably, eyes going back to the same warm softness that was home to Yujirou. He calms his breathing and reaches out a hand to the boy just as the three other shinobi's stance swiftly switches from guarded to an offensive

"I won't hurt him." Genma's declaration was firm and did not allow for any arguments. "I just wanted to see if he's alright."

"Genma-nii." Yujirou took the brief second interruption to press himself against his guardian's side.

Genma smells of dirt, mud, and blood and Yujirou tries not to picture a river of crimson flowing by his feet. Genma is as dangerous as shinobi come, but for the Uchiha boy, there was nowhere safer than the brunet's side.

Fugaku signals the other two ANBU to leave. Yujirou eyes them warily, inching a little bit closer to Genma. A gloved hand pats him gently on the top of his head and the older shinobi reassures him, "They've been my team for a few years now." _I trust them. You could too._

The two ANBU were reluctant to leave. But Fugaku cleared his throat and said, "Shiranui Genma is the closest confidant of Mikoto's ward. We trust him not to bring harm to Yujirou. And if ever needed, me and my wife will be able to subdue him with minimal injury."

Yujirou did not appreciate how Fugaku-sama made Genma-nii sound like a threat to him. But he also understood those words needed to be said.

Genma's team left just a few beats after.

Here's the thing though: Uchiha Yujirou does not know when he became a ward of Mikoto and he doesn't remember agreeing to any similar arrangement. He's fine on his own. He has been for a while now, in fact. He has lived with very little supervision all his life. Yes, Genma-nii has always been there. But Genma-nii is also a shinobi with a rather active career. Yujirou valued the independence he has and would prefer it stays as such. Being the Lady Uchiha's ward would turn eyes on him. Even if Itachi fails to kill him in the next few months, being linked to the main family would cause nothing but trouble. Besides, hadn't Genma-nii already promised to take care of him? How dare do Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-sama do this?

"I'm not..." Yujirou starts to say, now clutching onto Genma's uniform, "… not her ward. No." His voice was firm yet shaking.

Fugaku looks at him and Yujirou meets him in eye. The clan head looked away first, letting out a defeated sigh.

"We will need to talk about this. Genma-san, if you would pleae follow me. You can stay for the night."

Yujirou feels Genma-nii ruffle his hair slightly, before going after Fugaku. Within seconds, the young Uchiha found himself alone in the room again.

x

He does not know where Genma-nii stayed for the night, but when Yujirou went down for breakfast, the brunet is there, calmky talking to Mikoto and Fugaku.

Sasuke had already left for the academy and it seems like today isn't the day he's going back to the academy.

The adults instantly stopped talking when he entered the room.

"Hey, squirt. Mikoto cooked eggs for breakfast. Come sit with us," his Genma-nii greet casually. Yujirou nods and obeys. Genma-nii already had a plate prepared for him in the empty seat beside him across Mikoto.

Yujirou starts to eat and the three older shinobi proceeds to gossip talk about Konoha politics and some of the missions Genma have recently finished. (As it turns out, he's been regularly doing missions with one Uchiha Furata, a high-rank chunin running for jounin position. Genma is one his proctors and it seems like Furata wouldn't be a chunin for long now.)

Yujirou does not notice when things got quiet and all the attention turned to him until Mikoto spoke.

"Yujirou-kun, last night, Fugaku had told you, hadn't he?"

The young boy sets his chopsticks aside and looks at the Uchiha matriarch for a second. He turns to Genma-nii who was still watching him before looking back to Mikoto again.

"I don't want to be your ward."

Yujirou is more polite than this. Usually. But he really couldn't think of any way else to express himself, the stress of the past few days catching up to him.

"Yujirou-" Genma's tone promised a good scolding had Mikoto not cut him off.

"We understand. And we're sorry for springing this on you suddenly," she starts to explain, "but we need you to be our ward officially. Fugaku and I think it would be better if… you don't have much contact with the Uchiha Council."

Ah. They told him he had to meet with them at some point, right?

"We promised them that we'd look after you closely. This way, they won't bother you much. Nothing has to change, of course. You don't have to stay here if you don't want to. We'd need to have you visit every week, but that's all. We're hoping that you'd agree to this and we're sorry we didn't get to ask you before."

Yujirou think that, for what it's worth, it wasn't a bad deal. He nods and opens his mouth to say his agreement, but before he could even begin to utter a word, there was a knock on the door.

He sees Fugaku's stance stiffen. Mikoto looks to her husband, brows furrowed in worry and confusion. Genma's grip on his cup of tea stiffens, eyes going wide in alert.

Mikoto and Fugaku excuse themselves to greet the newcomers.

"There's two newly minted chunin assigned to me and Raidou. We're doing mock battles in training ground eleven this noon, wanna come?" Genma asks after the clan heads leave.

"I want to," Yujirou says, "but would they let me go with you?"

"Yeah, they would. I had a talk with Fugaku. You're going back to your place tonight. We've notified the academy that you're going back in time for the out-of-village survival training."

"Did you know about that? Or did Mikoto-sama tell you? I didn't know Sasuke could be as chatty as he is when he's with his mother."

His guardian looks at him, guilt in hazel eyes. Yujirou didn't mean for the words to have this effect in Genma. He isn't resentful of the fact that Genma is a busy shinobi and that sometimes he feels neglected by the only adult in his life (Ah. More like the only person in his life). Afterall, Genma and Yujirou… Genma didn't have any obligation to Yujirou. He should be glad that the older man even bothers with him.

There's a pang in his chest. Painful, but unlike the feeling of a blade sliding in. Painful in ways he could not describe in physical terms.

"Yeah, I did actually. I asked Raidou if he could take a shift for the ANBU guarding you lot. You're classmates are clan head kids. High risk of kidnapping and all that. I'm not even supposed to tell you, but you're a smart kid anyway." Again, Genma ruffles Yujirou's hair.

They clean up the family's kitchen and Yujirou changes into something more appropriate than clothes he slept in last night.

They were going to bid the clan heads their goodbye when a raspy old voice came from the living room. Genma put his hand on Yujirou's shoulder, stopping the boy from interrupting the discussion.

"We must study and train the boy well, if what you say is true and that he has managed to unlock his sharingan to two tomoe without the usual… circumstances… then perhaps, unlocking the Uchiha bloodline limit does not have to be so difficult."

Yujirou can guess that it was Uchiha Kinjou, one of the Uchiha elder council.

"Someone from the Konoha council is willing to back this project. Danzo will have both the funds and facilities to bring out the child's full potential. Imagine what he could do for the clan-"

"I beg your pardon, Kinjou-sama. But you already have my son and, to an extent, Uchiha Shisui. They have fully accepted the responsibilities of being the faces of the Uchiha to the rest of the village. I cannot let you do this to another Uchiha child. We can and we will bring him up within the clan and he will be great, even without Shimura Danzo's help."

Mikoto always seemed so warm and gentle that her scathing tone threw Yujirou off.

There was a spike of agitation from Genma's chakra that Yujirou has never felt from him before. It didn't last long, just a blink and then gone again. If he hadn't been used to Genma's signature, Yujirou doubts he would have felt it at all.

The older shinobi signals for him to stay put and enters the room by himself.

"Pardon the intrusion, Uchiha-sama, I'll be taking Yujirou with me for the day," the brunet says.

"What nonsense," Uchiha Kinjou says, looking at Genma as if he were no better than dirt on the sole of his sandals, "that boy should be training right now. His is an unprecedented case with much potential. Who knows what he could be with the right _training_. We could enroll him in Danzo's program-"

"Pardon me again, Uchiha-san, but I was talking to Fugaku-sama." Genma cuts him off abruptly, keeping the facade of bored disinterest on his face. "So if you'll excuse us."

If Genma had been a clan member, such blatant disrespect to someone part of the Elder council would land him in a tricky political conundrum. But as such, Genma came from a long line of civilian merchants, completely removed from shinobi clan politics.

Fugaku nods, permitting the man to go, even as the other Uchiha's face starts turning red, perhaps, from a mixture of embarassment and anger. Genma continues to ignore him completely as he turn to bow to Mikoto and step out of the room.

x

The two newly-minted chunin Genma was meeting with Raidou, is a pair requesting to be recognized as mission partners.

In Konoha, mission partnership is as serious as getting married or being adopted into a family. However, unlike marriages and adoptions, mission partnership cannot just be requested and consented to. The pair must prove that they work together more efficiently than they are apart. Their bonds are tested to the extreme.

Pairs who lose their half rarely ever continue the shinobi lifestyle. Losing your partner was just as good as losing both your hands or both your feet. It is such a devastating tragedy that those who are left behind are placed under mandatory suicide watch for six months, a decree ordered by Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Sannin.

Though it is possible to terminate mission partnerships, it rarely ever happens. There is comfort in this kind of relationship. In the kind of life shinobi live where they are treated more like tool than man, it is a great relief to know that there is someone just as willing to kill and fight and die for you. It is an unspoken understanding within Konoha: mission partners are loyal to the village, but between their home and their partners, they would rather see Konoha burn a thousand times.

Treasonous, one might even say. Many have tried to abolish such practice. But the Sandaime knew that making such a thing illegal wouldn't stop shinobi from creating such… _dangerous_ bonds. By keeping it within the red tape, Konoha is able to monitor potentially problematic shinobi whose loyalty to Konoha comes second.

This is also why applying for mission partnerships is long and arduos. It takes no less than a year to complete an evaluation.

Genma and Raidou came close to applying for one. But while their teamwork is impeccable and lauded by many, there wasn't ever a desire for a mission partnership. Of course, they requested missions together more often than not, but applying for mission partnerships is just that different. And though those two aren't officially declared as Konoha shinobi partners, they're usually tasked with weeding out applicants Hence, the meet-up with the two new chunin.

Izumo and Kotetsu came from the same genin cell. Their last member found an apprenticeship with the hospital, and while all three of them got along splendidly, Izumo and Kotetzu grew up like brothers, being born in the same civilian neighborhood.

Uchiha Yujirou thinks they're very much unremarkable. He told Genma himself, unpertrubed by the glares the two teens were giving him. Genma only laughs and ruffles his hair.

"Yuji-chan, you've much to learn," Raidou says, coming from behind the two chunin. "Do you actually think that your Genma-nii-san's looks scare enemy shinobi?"

In Yujirou's seven-year-old mind, of course, Genma was simultaneously the most frightening and strongest shinobi and also the world's kindest and most gentle guardian.

Yujirou was allowed to do light practice exercises ways away from the training ground. Raidou had drawn a circular boundary where the fighting should be kept in. Because Genma is there, the younf Uchiha is positive that nothing will hurt him accidentally.

It had almost happened once when he was just turning five. He had insisted on staying with Genma when the man had to train a newly prmoted chunin. A stray exploding tag had gone his way. He felt fear then. (Looking back, it was nothing compared to staring down Itachi's swirling red eyes.) But Genma had been keeping an eye on him the whole time. Several expertly thrown senbon had thrown the trajectory of the offending weapon away immediately. (Yujirou isn't sure what happened to that chunin. But he hasn't seen that young male after that.)

~~He had started training right after that incident, wanting to not be a burden to Genma.~~


	8. Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yujirou finally comes back to class just on time for their survival training camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this is a filler chapter. Which is why I worked completing the next chapter first before putting this out so the wait wouldn't be as long as last time :)

**xxx ooo xxx**  
Part 8: Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba  
Death and all his friends have come to gather.  
xxx ooo xxx

The other Uchiha comes back on the day of the survival training, but to Shino who registers everyone by their chakra, Uchiha Yujirou might as well have been a new person entirely. It alarmed him, of course. Yujirou's chakra suddenly felt more volatile. The calm river he had often associated the boy with was suddenly a tumultous storm. He would have probed into the other boy's identity further if he hadn't shown up with the Lady Uchiha.

They weren't friends exactly. But out of everyone in his class, only Yujirou didn't have a problem sitting near him after the events of last year.

_It was a common thing, Shino's father assured him, placing his warm huge hands atop his son's unruly hair. Shino tried and failed to stop the fat rolls of tears coming down his eyes. You're still getting used to working with the hive. It'll get better, he promised. And Shino had no doubt he would. But he still couldn't forget the disgust on the faces of his classmates._

Iruka-sensei had talked briefly with the Uchiha head and Yujirou before calling the attention of everyone in class and announcing the groupings of the survival tasks.

As a general rule, kids from the same clan weren't supposed to stay together too much, especially in genin cells. It was what got Shino even more curious about his not-friend's prolonged absence. He had seemed so fine just a day before he started not coming to class.

"Group D. Step forward when I call your name. Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Yujirou, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Haruno Sakura," Iruka-sensei had called out.

There was no doubt that he wasn't the only kid who noticed the odd groupings. Even in practice spars, the teachers tried not to pair off kids from the same clan. In fact, they've never really seen the two Uchihas together before.

Murmurs started erupting, but before anyone was even able to voice out a remark, their brown-haired teacher called their attention again.

"Settle down everyone! This is a good training for you too. There will be missions you can know nothing about. There will be times Konoha will ask you to risk your life for reasons you are not privy to. A shinobi will only have to trust that whatever it is is for the good of the village. Faith in the village is crucial in our world."

Ah. But Shino knows what his Sensei doesn't say. The clan had taught him it when his hive got big enough to integrate with his coils. His father said, "Sometimes the village will betray you. And you will only have to have faith that the village throws a kunai at your back for the sake of everyone else. Shinobi will someday go on missions knowing they can never go back. Is this something you are prepared to do, Shino?"

x

Kiba didn't want to work with the stuck-up Uchiha and the silent Uchiha. Kiba didn't want to work with any Uchiha at all. They didn't know how to have fun. All the MP members have sticks up their butts. And they were always dragging him back to the clan when he only wanted to explore and train a bit more with Akamaru in the forest. It wasn't like there was anyone training there. Well, okay, sometimes they'd give him biscuits and sweets before sending him home, but still, they were such killjoys.

His Mom insisted that everyone in his group must be treated like pack, regardless of his personal feelings toward them. After all, it wasn't like everyone in their clan got along exceptionally well. He knew Taichi-nee-chan's aunt and their next door neighbour never greet each other. They even had a list of clan members banned from ever being put in the same team for being hotheads. So yeah, he guesses he really had no reason to complain. And as one of the few pups in the clan, his Alpha's word is law. Even if Sasuke was a bit stuck-up and Yujirou smelled of…

well, like his Mom that time she came back and Uncle Sasa didn't come back with her and he never saw him again.

Kiba didn't mean to, but he did stay as far away from the silent Uchiha as possible. Something that though he tried to do discretely was obvious to his other teammates. The stuck-up Uchiha had been glaring at him since the activity started. Shino didn't mind staying close to Yujirou and Sakura is simply caught confused in the middle of it all.

Kiba is not dumb. He is not the best academy student, sure. But that doesn't mean he wasn't going to grow up a competent shinobi. He planned on being Hokage after all. (He'd definitely get the hat before Naruto!) And Kiba was not trying to pick a fight too, contrary to what Sasuke's accusing glare seemed to be implying. Despite what it looked like, he actually prefers Yujirou over Sasuke. It is, after all, Sasuke who is annoying in class, always showing off and whatever, not Yujirou. But he just can't help it. Even Akamaru was stuck between a threatening growl and pitiful whimpers.

x

The Inuzuka and the Aburame were Konoha's best trackers and hunters. Their partnership with their hounds and insects gave them an edge that cannot be easily described in words. Shino had an inkling about his Inuzuka classmate's strange behaviour towards Yujirou. He too feels a bit of what he presumes is what Kiba is cannot explain exactly why, but the buzz of his hive under his skin is telling him to be wary.

Despite the obvious tension in their little group, the Uchiha in question remained unperturbed. While Sasuke did his best to out-glare Kiba's uncomfortable stares, Shino, Sakura, and Yujirou started heading deeper into the forest to find a spot for their camp.

The training trip was relatively easy. The class will be spending a whole night and day in the western forest just outside Konoha, learning how to track, hunt, and, survive. That particular are was the safest part of the vast trees surrounding the village. It was strategically not the best place to infiltrate the village as it will lead only to a barracks occupied by chunin in training and another building which served as an extension of the Research Division- over all a well-guarded place.

The kids would also be observed by several ANBU to ensure their safety and security. Because even if it no other nin would attempt to enter Konoha throught the western front, the children themselves could easily be a target. Furthermore, even if enemy nin were out of the picture, there's no telling what unsupervised kids with bare knowledge of the shinobi way would get themselves into.

Truth be told, Shino is nervous about this little outing. He's never had to not go home to his clan and just thinking of it is making him want to bury himself deeper in his jacket.

But his Papa had reassured him. This training was done every year and nothing bad ever happens. And even he can't see it, the clan will be looking after him, always.

(Of course, the seven year old Shino didn't think that his father meant it quite literally. He and two other clan members had actually sent a couple of bugs to look after their heir.)

Focusing on the task at hand helps. And Kiba's obvious distraught and Sasuke's aswering glare are helping him take his mind off of his anxiety.

Not long after, they found a perfect spot to camp in just below a towering tree with roots reaching half as Shino's height. Sasuke reluctantly volunteered to go and gather woods after Yujirou revealed how this was not Sasuke's first time camping out in the forest.

"You've done this with Shisui-nii and... Itachi-san before haven't you?" He said while setting down his supplies. "I remember 'cause Shisui-nii told me and he said you begged Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-sama to be let on that trip."

The other boy reddened a bit at that. If it weren't for Yujirou's no nonsense tone instead of a teasing one, Shino was sure Sasuke would've lashed out. As it is, he simply huffed in irritation and went. The only kunoichi in their team volunteered to follow after that.

There was silence between the three as they tried to make a trap for a small game. Part of their task is hunting their own meal for the duration of the trip.

Kiba is doing really well with his set up, Shino observes, a fact which Yujirou pointed out

"Wow. You're really good at that, huh."

If it were any other person, Kiba would have readily boasted his skills, probably even exaggerating what he could do. But for now, h3 simply looks at Yujirou and nods.

"I read somewhere that your clan once protected the Wolf God's daughter from bandits and that's why he gifted the Inuzuka a special bond with your nin-dogs. I think that's pretty cool."

Kiba was slightly abashed, cheeks turning red for a second before regaining his usual bravado.

"Of course, we are! My clan is the coolest amd the strongest you know. Even way before the village was founded. Right, Akamaru? And we always have our partner's support, so we're basicalky indestrictible."

"Well, I don't know about being the strongest, but we are definitely not weak. But I think it's fortunate that we'll be working side by side for Konoha."

Shino knew Yujirou, despite his taciturn nature, was kind. But to think that he cared about Kiba's discomfort to try to ease the tension in their group… well, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! I'm back. This chapter is very sloppy because I wrote it in a period of 2 months or something. But anywayyy RL got super busy and shit. But thank heavens me-from-three-months-ago had the whole story already outlined, completr with notes. I expect to end this story with 12 chapters or so.
> 
> Super sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes. Working solely on my phone has been challenging and I don't think I'd be doing it again :/


	9. Uchiha Yujirou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the survival camp and a chat.

**xxx ooo xxx**  
Part 9: Uchiha Yujirou  
And there is a feast prepared for Death and all his friends.  
xxx ooo xxx

Sasuke and Sakura come back not long after. By that time, Kiba and Akamaru had already lain the traps around their camp. They should have something caught by the time the noon day sun rolls around.

Sasuke was about to make the seals for their clan's fireball technique but Yujirou abruptly cuts him off.

"Uh, ano, I don't think we should be doing that," Yujirou starts, putting a hand behind his neck in slight embarassment at having to contradict the other Uchiha, "If we were on an actial mission, that amount of chakra would be a beacon to shinobi."

It was one of the things Genma taught him when he took Yujirou to watch a puppetry show in a nearby village. It was a few days before his sixth birthday then. Genma wouldn't actually be in the village for his birthday, but it couldn't be helped. Still, it had been a fun trip and instead of renting a room in an inn, Genma had also taken him camping for a night.

_"Let's treat this like a mission Yu-chan," the man said ruffling his kid's hair, "And on missions, one of the most important things when setting up a camp is to make sure you do nothing to invite possible enemy nin and then, to not leave a trace when dismantling the camp, so you won't be followed."_

"I agree with Yujirou-kun," Sakura says from Sasuke's side, voice barely above a whisper, "We've only started learning how to mold our chakra this year. But I'm sure you'd be able to control yours perfectly in a few years, Sasuke-kun. But yeah, right now though, maybe I can start the fire? My Papa actually just taught me how. I thought we would need it for this trip."

Sasuke was predictably not very happy with the turn of events having been lectured by his classmates. Ah, the infamous Uchiha pride rearing its ugly head, something Yujirou was very familiar with himself. But Sasuke also had enough sense not to argue with them over it. Well, at least his clanmate knew how to listen to reason.

The whole trip was just as boring as the first time he went through it. Though now, with Sasuke's unrelenting looking after, it was a bit more bothersome. He couldn't even take a leak without the other boy hounding him, asking where exactly would he be going. It has been a mortifying experience for both of them. Kiba had even gotten comfortable with teasing the two Uchihas, proclaiming that Sasuke had a crush on Yujirou. The latter could only be grateful that Shino was never one to join in childish teasing and that Sakura was too horrified thinking about Sasuke's alleged crush on him to properly react. Though Yujirou swears she glares at him whenever she thinks he's not looking. And if looks could kill, well then he'd be dying a little earlier this time around.

Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei, and Yona-sensei gathered all of them the next day. Their sensei took account of everyone's name and had reminded them of their pending classroom activities. Since their meet-up point was a little distance away from Konoha, all the students were required to be accompanied by a guardian; otherwise, one of the attending teacher would bring them back inside the village. Kids like him coming from a clan could also leave the grounds with another certified clan member. (Genma-nii was Genma-nii and even though he is Yujirou's family in all but paper, his guardianship is not legally recognized by the village. And even if everyone who knew him and his Genma-nii accepted their filial bond, Genma-nii is still not permitted to act as his stand-in guardian in academy-run activities like this.)

Sakura had already been picked up by his father. She bade them a shy goodbye which only Yujirou had bothered returning (earning him a slight smile and a faint blush from the girl). Haruno-san had laughed loudly at this exchange. Sasuke had only looked at him confused.

With Fugaku and Itachi and the way they are, no one has probably ever taught Sasuke the importance of gaining favors from women. And he really couldn't expect it from Shisui-nii who is a boy also barely out of puberty.

_"So listen up, Yuji, one very lesson no one will bother teaching you: kunoichi can and will destroy you, if you give them a good reason to. Just take it from your Nii-san, okay? Never ever cross a kunoichi, especially if you think they don't have the physical prowess to get back at you. Chances are she has another kunoichi friend and that kunoichi friend will probably be like the second-coming of Tsunade-sama and she will beat your ass to dust."_

_"Nii-san, what did you do?"_

_"Wow, I'm mildly offended that you would assume that I'm dumb enough to cross a lady. But well, yeah, not me. Someone you know though. Tell him to watch his back when you see him next."_

_"Oh. What did Shisui-nii do?"_

_The man only laughs in response. And Uchiha Yujirou could only sigh. He briefly sends a silent prayer to their ancestors to keep his Shisui-nii's ass intact enough for him to teach Yujirou how to be quick like him._

Looking around, he saw the haggard faces his yearmates. Spending the night outdoor for the first time with no supervision isn't that easy. The whole point of the exercise was to get kids comfortable spending nighys outdoors for when they inevitably start taking missions outside the village.

There's a cold feeling that has started looming in his chest.

He was going to have a genin team and a jonin-sensei. And he would try to get along with them and climb the ranks. He didn't want to get stuck in Military Police Force. He was going to pass the chunin exams and then finish a bunch of missions, be impressive enough that he gets bumped up another rank. And he'll follow Genma-nii into the T&I division, even if their Chief looked like he ate kids for breakfast.

It was everything he felt after finishing the survival camp the first time. ~~Before Itachi slid his blade straight through his heart, face devoid of emotions, as if killing Yujirou was as mundane as a D-rank mission.~~

Beside him, Shino took a step to his left, moving a little further from Yujirou. And Akamaru, already hiding inside Kiba's clothes, starts whimpering.

"Yuji-chan!" Shisui's voice was cheery as usual, but there was an underlying tension in his shoulder as he deliberately and completely blocks off Yujirou's line of sight. To anyone else looking at them, it would seems like a casual reunion of two good friends. But Shisui, kneeling in front of the younger Uchiha with both hands on the boy's shoulders, is in fact instructing him on a simple breathing exercise.

Because his eyes are red again and everything is a little bit brighter… but only for a second--barely a second. Not even Sasuke caught the shift from black to red and back to black. And the chakra distortion was minimal that no one is going to suspect anything severe, like his unnaturally acquired Sharingan.

"Shisui-nii-san, I thought Mother would also be picking us up today?" Sasuke says moving closer to them.

"Aww, aren't you happy to see your cousin Sasuke-chan," the older boy replies, getting up and dusting off his pants. Yujirou took this momentary distraction to compose himself. "Besides, Mikoto-sama and Fugaku-sama were called by the elders in an emergency meeting," Shisui-nii adds.

He would have missed it completely, Yujirou thinks. There was tightness in Shisui-nii's voice as he explained Mikoto-san's absence. The Elders… they have been displeased. Yujirou remembers the morning Genma spent in the Uchiha Main House. The blatant disregard of an Uchiha Elder's position. The three adults shielding Yujirou from their greedy hands. The clan heads are being refused their demands and now they are trying to reprimand them. But then again, it would have been more surprising if they'd simply relented and granted Yujirou the peace and quiet he wants. Yujirou knows this without needing to be told. The way Shisui-nii casts worried sidelong glances at him says it all.

Shisui-nii is a prodigy so very unlike Yujirou. Or rather, Yujirou is no genius yet right now, the clan is clamoring as if he were, all because of his eyes, pushing him to quickly climb the shinobi ranks to add another name to the short list of active Uchiha shinobi in the village. It was as if it wouldn't be enough until Konoha's forces were overrun by Uchiha.

Yujirou knows he's being harsh in that line of thinking.

Yujirou is an Uchiha and he took great pride in his clan, in the fact that their clan was one of its founding members. He liked his clan and he liked his village and he knew the Uchiha took great pride in their village. (Fukumi-sensei had taught him history much better than the Academy ever could, and Yujirou appreciated his history lessons much better than his arithmetics. His Sensei has also been careful in teaching him the Uchiha history, their faults and glory and everything in between. Yujirou devoured those lessons with as much gusto as a four-year-old can.)

The Elders, he knows, or at least he'd like to believe, only want the best for their village. (He has to believe that because if not, then what's the point?) They think that only the Uchiha can protect Konoha adequately. And well, it's also true that there hasn't been as much Uchiha in the shinobi force as the village had before the Third War. But they were getting _desperate_ and Yujirou, who is yet to be named an official genin, is getting caught in between.

He knew a lot was riding on him and Sasuke performing well in the academy. An older Uchiha would always be checking up on his studies on a regular basis. It was a little bothersome, but he took it in a stride. That was all from _before_ though. Now is a different matter altogether.

A hand, much bigger that Shisui's, ruffles his hair. Lost deep in thought, Yujirou completely missed the arrival of the other shinobi. He looks up, surprise and joy clouding him as he saw his Genma-nii.

"Hey ya there kid," the brunet greeted him.

"Nii-san!" Unable to help himself, Yujirou launched himself into the brunet's arms, hands latching tight to the fabric of the man's uniform. "You had a mission. You weren't supposed to be back 'til next week." Which was exactly what happened before.

"Yeah, but Hayate owed me one. Didn't have to stay to clean up the left over mess."

"Genma-san, Sasuke and I will be heading back to the compound now. I've informed their Sensei that Yuji-chan will be going with you for now." Shisui turned his back on Sasuke, prompting him to climb up. Sasuke did so with not much fuss.

"Got it. I'll make sure to get him back not too late. We'll just be going on a quick stroll."  
Shisui gives them a little salute before leaving.

"Should we go now too, Yuji-chan?"

The young boy nods and takes his guardian's hands. All of the sudden, Genma lifts him up, and on instict, Yujirou wraps his arms around the older man's neck.

"Genma-nii!" He cries in indignation only to be met by laughter.

×

Genma did have a mission that should have taken him out of the village far longer than it did. But the nagging feeling at the back of his mind wouldn't let him rest. (At one point he'd even started to wonder if he'd accidentally chewed on a poisoned senbon again.) It was only through complete luck that he was able to make it back to the village earlier.

The mission was simple enough anyway: A noble, one of those annoying and stuck-up ones, had requested escorts for a festival he and his bethroted wanted to attend. His hefty pay afforded him the best escorts, fortunately for him (and unfortunately for the poor fools who got delegated to the task which sadly included Genma this time around.) The mission entailed a 24/7 bodyguard duty in the shadows for the duration of the festival. Luckily for him, Hayate had stopped by the same village from one of those easy courier missions. And since Yugao was one of the other poor fool tasked with the babysitting mission, convincing the other man to switch with him had been easy. So in the end, Genma managed to head back for Konoha earlier.

In fact, he was just in time for one of Raidou's Chunin trainees to catch him entering the village, as the said boy was just about to leave to deliver him a message.

And as Genma flew through the trees separating him and the patch of land delegated to the Academy, the brunet clenched a piece of inconspicuous parchment filled Raidou's unmistakable scrawl in a code only their team knew.

"Three unknown. ANBU gear. Not the usual mask-holders. Left before sunrise."

It could mean anything, really. The babysitting duty was distributed to both high chunin and jounin ranks, but the Hokage or perhaps some other clan head or council member could have commissioned the ANBU for extra protection. It pays to be cautious, after all. But then again, the team leaders should have been debriefed about their extra company. If it weren't for the fact that the three mysterious masks knew the Konoha ANBU-exclusive hand signs, Raidou and the other team leaders would have called for back-up.

Technically, Raidou passing on this message to Genma when he wasn't involved in the mission can mean serious repercussions for the brunet. Genma could be reprimanded and even stripped of rank (or at least lose some privileges his rank permits him). But Genma has always been self-aware. He knows he could do more than break the rules for his kid.

x

Training Field 30 was one of the smaller training grounds, as such there were only a few teams who regularly books it. Many clanless parent shinobi used the training said field to introduce to their kids the shinobi way. Field 30 was also connected directly to three other bigger training grounds, but it was isolated enough by the forest which also made it a great spot for a quiet practice session.

Yujirou was not entirely sure why exactly his Nii-san brought him there. Well, it is true that they were one of the few who regularly requests the use of this field, but still.

"I'm gonna cut this short, Yuji-chan. I know what you did when I took you with me when we were testing thise two chunin."

Yujirou couldn't look Genma in the eye then.

The older man never needed to raise his voice to make Yujirou feel bad and really, he doesn't even seem all thay angry which made matters a hundred fold worse.

"And sure, it's beneficial during training to share tips and techniques, but you must also remember that some take their clan techniques as a secrecy. Ya know? They wouldn't take it lightly, your indescriminate copying of their methods."

Of course, there was no hiding from Genma. Yujirou bets even Raidou found him out. Even if the pair had already been busy dodging attacks and playing offensive against the two other chunin.

"I'm not all that mad at you, kid," Genma says putting a hand atop Yujirou's bowed head. "Kotetsu also said he didn't mind. That it wasn't exactly a secret move or anything. But you should definitely still give him a proper apology. Besides, I bet you haven't started your Sharingan training yet. Your Uchiha mentor would discuss what you can and can't do with your eyes. So see? All's well. Just don't do it again."

Yujirou nods in agreement. In hindsight, it was obvious what he did was wrong, but he had been too preoccupied with worry to have thought of the repercussions of what he did.

"Also, you are not allowed, in any circumstances, to use that jutsu you copied off of Kotetsu."

The Uchiha's eyes widen and meets his guardian's eyes.

"But you said Kotetsu-san said he didn't mind?"

"Well, yeah, but also, using that kind of move will deplete your chakra halfway through the technique. And earth might not even be your affinity."

Well, that was definitely going to be a problem. Being able to drag a person through the seemed like a useful move. And now that he knew he couldn't just scout random training fields to copy jutsu, what use does his sharingan even have in trying to keep his clan from being wiped out.

Genma lets out a sigh, his hands moving to the back of his neck. Seeing the frustration on the kid's face, he relents.

"Okay, let's make a deal--" he crouches, meeting Yujirou eye to eye "--I'll teach you how to hide you chakra and you promise me not to use that jutsu you stole from Kotetsu, 'good?"

Yujirou instantly lit up at Genma's proposition. Genma didn't really know why his kid suddenly wanted to learn all these advanced stuff. Sure, the Uchiha (most of them) are fast-learners and are just plain natural at being shinobi. And he's sure his kid isn't too far behind the clan heads' kid. But Yujirou has never been a particularly proactive student. He's an Uchiha with the temperament of a Nara, always been that way even as a baby. (And well, you know what they say, always fear a motivated Nara.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soo close to finishing this story. ughk. everyone dies. the end.


	10. Shiranui Genma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genma, afterwards.

**Death in Slow Motion, 10**

**Shiranui Genma**

 

xxx

 

Grief is a very familiar thing to almost all shinobi that those who are unable to learn to cope with it have most likely gone mad or dead, either by their own hand or a reckless impulse in the middle of a mission. There were measures put in place by First Hokage to make sure that leaf shinobi have access to the help they need, but then again, shinobi have always been bad patients, Genma included, though not to the extent that he would be heading straight home with a bleeding gut wound like some other person he knows. And Genma does not claim to be a shinobi with the healthiest coping mechanism, but he could at the very least say that he dealt with his grief in non-destructive ways.

.

.

There is a room in Genma’s apartment that he never uses. It is never a guest room. Wayward drunkards, even if they were his friends, get to stay on his old uncomfortable couch. There is a room in his place—the one he picked because it was at the heart of the village, a strategic living area for budding shinobi—he never uses, and now, would never get to use.

.

.

.

His mourning has always been a quiet thing. Some would prefer renting out a whole training field for themselves. Other spent their days in the red district, getting high and drunk and drowning in the pleasures of the flesh. There were also some, the more unstable of their comrades, who take up the mask for months on end, finding comfort in the ruthlessness of a mission where you are no more than the porcelain mask you wear. But unlike them whose misery made them act out, Genma’s mourning closed in on him, singling him out entirely, making him feel like he’s imploding from all the hurt filling his lungs.

.

.

There is a room in Genma’s apartment whose keys he had tossed away angrily upon getting back. Yujirou does not need that room anymore.

.

.

.

  When both of his parents came home in body scrolls, Genma had cried for days, locking himself up in his room and only leaving to meet with the orphanage staff handling his case. When he became one of three lone survivors of their platoon during the war, he had simply trained with his needles inside his ANBU quarters day and night for the duration of his forced leave. And then, when he had heard the news of Kenta’s and Miyu’s death upon returning to the village, he had once again locked himself inside his apartment from three straight days. On the fourth day, he had taken another mission that took him out of the village for another six months. (The Hokage had been reluctant to let the brunet leave. But the man had passed all his evals, so legally, there was nothing keeping him from taking that mission.) And now that he has come back to the news of Yujirou’s death, Genma has decided to grieve for a night, spending hours and hours staring at a blank wall.

(He would very much like to get drunk right now. But drinking will numb him, try to make him forget, and that’s the last thing he wants right now.)

And that’s the thing too. When Genma grieves, he grieves consciously. At the back of his mind, there is always an After. He has never been particularly productive when mourning and it seems like there was something he still needed to do for his kid— _his kid, who had been slaughtered with the rest of his clan in their very own land, where he_ should have been the safest. He does not know yet what it is he had to do, does not even know where to start digging. His mind is still dazed and reeling from the recent news, still refusing to accept Hatake’s words as truth.

He hasn’t been to the compound yet. It could all just still be a test. Impossible. Impossible. Too outrageous even for a test. And there weren’t any military police patrolling, were there? Maybe they were in on the test? No. No. The Uchiha would never have agreed to go along with the amount of work they have to do— _had_ to do.

And so, for this night, Genma would be grieving. He sits on his bed, muscles taut and eyes burning a hole at the center of the blank wall he was facing. Even with the curtains drawn shut, the moon still illuminated his room, as if taunting the shadows that have gathered on the edges of his vision. For now, he tries to remember what his kid looked like the last time he saw him alive. And he didn’t know whether to be thankful or not, that he didn’t know what his kid looked like in death.

 

xxx

_There were going to be repercussions if someone realizes what he just did. Genma didn’t think it was “illegal”, per se. Sure, he pulled some strings, called in favors here and there, but all that really did was expedite the process and not bypass it. Yujirou was pre-genin anyway. He’s practically a civilian even with ‘Uchiha’ tacked at the end of his name. Heck, he’s barely even started on his shinobi studies._

_“You ready, kid? Got everything you need?”_

_“Yes. Mikoto-sama visited last night. When I told her were leaving today, she had kindly double checked pack.”_

_The clan heads had surprisingly been helpful with his formal request to take Yuji-chan on a weekend trip. It was mostly thanks to their backing that Genma could almost be sure that by the time those documents get to whichever Elder was overseeing it, he and Yujirou will already be half-way way back to Konoha. It wouldn’t be Genma’s fault that the official papers got lost in transit. Hundreds of scrolls move through the administration every day. A tired, overworked Chunin could have misplaced it or something, very likely to happen._

_“Excited?”_

_The young boy barely hums._

_Definitely excited, Genma thinks in amusement, can barely stop himself from shaking._

 

xxx

 

He promised to teach him a new kata. The one the Academy assigned his class hadn’t been challenging, especially in the face of his Uchiha education. Predictably, he’d been bargaining for a jutsu, though both of them new it was impossible for Genma to change his mind about the age rule. Not until you’re a genin, he said before flicking the boy’s forehead, your reserves as it is now is too puny. He had then been rewarded with a _dignified_ pout from the seven year old. And now it doesn’t matter because Yujirou is gone and there was no teaching him new exercises, no guiding his arms and correcting his stance.

 

xxx

 

_Three days later, Genma reports back to work. There is a mission for him, signed by the council, not specifying which council member. A solo assassination mission deep in the heart of Iwagakure—practically suicide. If Gai hadn’t been snooping behind his back, he would have gone on the mission alone and probably never had made it back. Well, the man hadn’t been intentionally sneaking, but all the same, Genma could feel relief wash over him when his genin teammate let out an indignant yelp, loud enough for Genma to startle, but not distracting enough to catch the interest of the other shinobi in the room. It was Gai after all._

_The Green Beast does not make it a habit to interfere in other people’s missions. If he hadn’t turned around that second, he would have completely missed the Genma’s scroll and he would have been down a friend several days later. If it had been an ANBU assignment, it wouldn’t have mattered. But it wasn’t. And it wasn’t signed by the Hokage who was truthfully the only one authorized to. Besides, assassination mission of that caliber we’re always handed out by the Hokage in person. And Konoha does not have a habit of sending her sons to meaningless death even if they were a shinobi village, especially in times of peace. They’d gone straight to the Hokage thereafter, hoping to clear some misunderstanding, because evidently, even if the target had to be eliminated, there was no sense sending a lone agent in the center of enemy territory._

_It never crossed Genma’s mind that someone deliberately set him up. Paperwork error, he thought, a very stupid and dangerous one._

 

xxx

 

“You have been a steadfast and loyal shinobi of Konoha. You have worked hard to keep her safe and you have worked hard to keep your people safe. We are truly grateful and indebted to your sacrifices. You have unwaveringly done your duty,” the Sandaime says. He had asked his ANBU guards to let him meet with Genma alone in his office, activating a soundproofing seal hidden under his desk.

 “And I am very ashamed to admit that Konoha failed even after all that and I am offering you my deepest apologies as Hokage. We have failed you. You have protected Konoha well against enemies from beyond her walls. Yet we have failed to keep safe those you hold dear within her walls.”

Genma does not want the apology. He wants to know the truth and there must be something—a lot of things—that the Hokage knows and isn’t telling. Right now, there is a wall in his home filled with senbon, kunai, and shuriken, mapping out everything he knows about the ruthless extermination of the Uchiha clan. He has pieces of the puzzle, but not the whole picture. He needs _more._ He needs in on this case. Nevertheless, the brunet keeps his face devoid of emotions despite the torrent of fury under his skin.

“This is the least I could do for you and young Yujirou—“an ache in his heart, sudden and brief “—officially, Genma Shiranui is out of the village for a long term mission. You have two days to prepare. Everything you need to know is listed here.” The old man gestures for him to take the black scroll on his desk.

Genma was preparing to leave, when the Hokage calls out his name in a tired, tired voice.

“I really am sorry. I assume you already know, correct? We’ve kept many information on the incident away from the public, but it’s a different matter for the shinobi half of the village. There were… forces at work which helped enable Itachi from getting to everyone in his clan. Forces that we should have foreseen and stopped. I’m truly sorry. My condolences,” Sarutobi says. And Genma can see more clearly the lines on his face. He’s too old for this. He should have stayed retired. Then with a sigh and weary eyes looking straight at him: “Good luck and may this mission be a success.”

Genma nods and flickers away from the Tower.

 

xxx

 

_He’s small. So small and breakable. Barely nine months old and still the size of newborn. The Kyuubi’s attack, the stress of it and the suffocating demonic chakra, had pushed Miyu’s delivery earlier. They didn’t think either of them would make it. The Uchiha caretaker had told him and Genma imagines his life never meeting the little boy, never having a piece of his family left._

_He cradles the babe a little closer, being extra careful not to jostle him too much lest he wakes up. He looks like an Uchiha through and through, but the longer Genma looked the more he saw his brother in the baby’s nose and in the shape of his eyes. His coloring was all Miyu, pale skin and dark hair (and he’d bet the entirety of his next mission’s pay that those eyes would be dull black too)._

_Still, Yujirou is so small. He needs more care than an average infant and with the state of the village, only just starting to recover from their recent tragedy, how could he expect the hospital to care for this kid like that?_

_“Do not worry, Shiranui-san,” a voice says, entering the room. Fugaku and Mikoto enter the nursing room, voice low and careful as to not startle the sleeping child. “We will take care of him,” the Lady Uchiha says, “I would personally oversee his growth. At the moment, he is our only Uchiha orphan under nine years old, he would not be lacking in caretakers.”_

_Genma nods. “Thank you. But also, I would like to keep on seeing him. Would that be possible?” He asks, not knowing what he’d do if they deny him this._

_“You don’t need our permission to visit the boy,” Fugaku’s answer was short and direct. Some tension leaves Genma as he continues to cradle the young child._

_Genma knows he couldn’t stop taking missions outside the village for a long while and he sure as hell has no plans of retiring early, yet he couldn’t help himself._

_“And when he’s a little older, I would like to take him in.”_

 

xxx

 

All four of them arrived in the clearing at the same time. From what the mission scroll said, only Boar and Ox were in the village when Itachi killed his clan. Boar was also one his pursuers when he fled the country. Owl was in an infiltration mission until last week. Bear has worked with all of them except Boar who would be leading them.

“As you all know, this is a mission unlike any we’ve had to do before. And despite my protest, all of you here actually have personal to the clan’s massacre. The Hokage trusts that you will not fail this mission, cannot and will not allow it. And with that, I am hoping that there would no one against an unmasking.”

Well, that was certainly new. Bear has been in ANBU long enough that it didn’t matter to him that he only knew his comrades by the animal masks they wore despite having to trust them with his life on delicate missions. Huh, so there is a traitor even within the ANBU. That certainly changes things then.

After a beat, Owl unclips his mask, baring to the team the face of Nara Ensui. He was with Shisui, wasn’t he? An experimental squad of some sorts. He remembered Shikaku grumbling about nosy council elders when he’d been forced to comply with their request. And if memory served him right, they were disbanded when the other Uchiha of the team was killed in a mission. Shisui was inconsolable. He’d gotten drunk and Genma had been the one to haul his ass back to the compound.

.

.

_“It was complete bull—ughkk—bullshit, Genma. Ya know? Faulty intel. Hah! They been—guhh—trying to kill us off. From day one. From day one they wanted us gone.”_

_If they’d been in a more public place, Shisui’s careless rambling would have been met with a punishment. But drunk as he is, the young boy had only loosened his tongue within the clan compound. Protocol would have had Genma report the incident to the Uchiha’s direct commander. But that would be additional paper work and Shisui was drunk and has just lost a teammate who just happened to a clan mate and distant relative too. And well, Shisui is Yujirou’s favorite Uchiha._

_._

_._

Drunk rambling, huh? More and more pieces, still the whole picture escapes Genma.

Ox unmasks next. As it turns out, when he’s not in ANBU, Ox is the infamous outspoken chunin academy teacher who handled Yujirou’s class. He’s not going to lie; it was a surprise to see him there. Naturally ANBU were up of all ranks, including genin (because who would expect a genin spy? A genin specialist? A genin anything really.). But being an academy teacher means Umino Iruka couldn’t just up and take a leave of absence from work when his ANBU work gets rough. Then again, Genma has a feeling Iruka didn’t regularly take ANBU when classes are in session.

Ah, right. Personal ties. The Academy worked closely with the Military Police than with the active shinobi. And Iruka would have lost students too (he lost Yujirou too.)

Nara and Umino looks expectantly at him. He shrugs a bit and proceeds to remove the porcelain mask from his face.

“Should have seen that coming,” the Nara comments. Umino gives him a sharp nod which he returned.

Captain Boar hums, seemingly pleased with the team he got. Swiftly, he reintroduces himself without the mask.

“Inuzuka Tsutomu. You’re not my usual crowd, but we’ll make do. Nara and Umino, you’re not listed in the out-of-village mission cover, so, you both deal with the contingency plans in case we all dig ourselves too deep. Genma, you and me will be doing most of the infiltration. Hope you have skills in disguising. For now, there a base not too far out, all available information the Hokage could provide us is sealed there. We’ll be spending the night sorting through them. Let’s move! ” The Inuzuka does not even wait for his team to reply before moving to the trees.  

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little note that in this Konoha, Sarutobi is much stupider and completely missed Danzo's machinations. So yeah, he doesn't know about Danzo orchestrating the massacre. All he knows is that someone from the council is Very Very No Good.

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted on ff(dot)net. This story was started on whim and will just be around 20k words. Weekly updates of varying lengths... Feel free to point out typos and such. I drafted everything on my phone and it was a real struggle. Huhu. b"d Also You can say hi to me at burnletthemburn on tumblr if ya want :D kthxbai.


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